Tales of War: Laotian Saga WH40K
by Lord Magos Jadinar
Summary: Follow the Laotian 14th Regiment through the war torn battlefield of the Tau held planet Yanir, following the unfolding plot of intrigue and ancient secrets that only the univerese of 40k could provide.
1. We Fight

Authors Note: Im hoping to start a series with this maybe when I'm done with this story I might make a new one or maybe create a sequel I dont know but please rate and tell me any corrections or comments you want to say. Lord Magos Jadinar

* * *

War found a new home in the city of Braxen Alpha. The very air shook and trembled with its life. The alleys and streets rang with the clamor of death, the sound of steel striking flesh and blood spattering the ground. The sound of shells striking buildings and the crackle of small arms fire all added to the symphony that was war. Each of these sounds filtered through Bayern Hyagu's ears, they were the sounds he was familiar with as an Imperial Guardsmen for 13 years in the 14th Laotian Griffons they were like old comrades to Captain Bayern.

He held his traditional _uinyyal _blade in his right hand, the traditional Laotian Captain sword used since the First Founding of the Laotian regiments in the 31rst Millennium when the Great Crusade of Mankind was in full swing. The blade was made in traditional fashion the, super strong Laotian steel folded and beaten over 1400 times in the great forges on the moons of Laotia. The forging and materials of the blades used in Laotias armies were a secret kept for thousands of years even though the Adeptus Mechanicus had spent almost all of those years trying to learn the secrets.

The blade was a single edged, razor sharp, one and a half meter long killing weapon, designed to chop through all armor with ease short of Space Marine Power Armor. In his left hand he brandished a well maintained, ornate laspistol, its barrel ringed with prayers to the Emperor.

In the distance Bayern heard the enemy, dug in the lower habs, with plenty of firepower and fanaticism on their side. But on the Imperials side there was even more firepower and good tactical sense, and of course there was the Laotian regiments, the best guard units in use in the Imperial Guard. Bayern thought this smugly as he and his men advanced toward the enemy.

His men, thought Bayern as he surveyed his 2nd company, moving towards the battle lines in a glittering mass, each squad moving in concert with the other. Out in the front of his company were the recon sentinels and salamanders, making sure there was nothing waiting to spring a ambush on their fellow soldiers.

Unlike many commanders in the Laotian Regiments, Bayern put great value in his recon troops, good intelligence had saved his ass more than he could count. While it almost never happened, with typical Laotian pride, usually all defeats attributed to Laotian Generals have been the cause of bad intelligence and a non- serious attitude to scouting. But such was the consequences of being one of the most adept guard regiments at close combat and storm assaults.

Bayern's thoughts were interrupted as the vox chimed in his ear, his recon units were reporting.

"Captain Bayern here." he voxed, "Please say again."

On the other end of the line there was a brief crackle of static and then a light-hearted and spirited voice, so out of place in a war zone of this magnitude replied, " Lieutenant Argos here sir, I have the reports you asked for."

Lieutenant Argos was one of Bayern's oldest companions serving through some of the bloodiest wars in the Imperium's history together, they had been fighting together even when they had both been privates in the 3rd company in old Sergeant Tyin's platoon.

Those had been simpler times, when he just had to soldier not have to wonder if his decisions cost the lives of men under his command. Even then Argos had been the source of no small admiration as the perhaps the best scout in the regiment, back in a old campaign on Qwey III agaisnt the orks, Argos had managed to not only infiltrate enemy lines by himself but he also was able to give the exact location of enemy munition dumps deep in thier camp, which destroyed by a quick air-raid had led to the breaking of the orks resistance on the mainland.

Now they both had command of their own men but for Bayern he answered directly to the Colonel not to a captain and the fate of hundreds rested on his shoulders, sometimes Bayern wondered if he should have never accepted the promotion but just as quickly dismissed the thoughts, knowing that he had played a crucial part in many of his regiments victories.

"Sir?" asked Argos over the line hesitantly not wanting to press his commander but wanting to tell the information he knew.

"Sorry Lieutenant just lost in some memories, continue report.", replied Bayern. Fool! Don't start going all sentimental now when the battle is about to begin, Bayern scolded himself.

Argos continued, "Well sir, the enemy is holed up in these habs as you know but what you don't know is that they have all the points of approach guarded with reinforced barricades, mainly consisting of rubble and ruined ground cars, they _had_ patrols surrounding the area but my men saw to that, the barricades are guarded by fanatics with mainly captured Lasguns and Autoguns but also with Heavy stubbers and Rocket tubes in the mix too. But the biggest _visible_ is a large amount of old, loud ass field guns that will shred light vehicles and our infantry as we advance even with our boys heavy armor."

So, thought Bayern, this is just getting harder as we get closer, but nothing is as easy as it looks, especially with _this _enemy, but something nagged at the Captain as he heard the infasis on the word visible, "Anything else Lieutenant?" asked the Captain with a feeling of dread.

"Actually sir, there is one more thing… it seems they have… Traitor Marines too sir."

Argos sing-song tone was momentarily gone with the mention of those fell warriors, Bayern's blood ran cold at the mention of such testaments to evil as Traitor Marines, they were part of the huge rebellion known as the Horus Heresy when fully half of the Space Marine Legions rebelled against the Emperor and as a result the Emperor was entombed into the Golden Throne, to forever be the Ruler of Mankind.

Loyalist Space Marines were perhaps the greatest warriors to ever walk the universe, they fought with a ferocity and skill that even the arrogant xenos respected. But the Traitor Marines were a entirely different thing, they fought with the deadliness of thousands of years of combat and the malicious powers of Chaos backing them up along with arcane technology of the ancient times.

He was gripped with indecision if whether to wait for reinforcements or attack, until Lt. Argos voxed again, " Sir? Do we attack or fall back?"

Captain Bayern Hyagu pondered a moment longer before saying into the vox, knowing that his words have written the sentence for many mens deaths this day, " Lieutenant we attack!" and cut the line.

All around the Captain his company was coming to life, men were readying weapons checking comms and saying prayers. He took one last look around before saying the words the men dreaded to hear but also wanted the most to be uttered at the same time, "MEN OF LAOTIA! ATTACK!"


	2. Another Day in the Emperor's Service

* * *

Authors Note: If you are liking how this cahapter will just be one of the smaller battles in the stories course. Up next is one of the more epic moments of the beginning and also will be more characters so get ready because tehcahpter after this will be a dozey! Lord Magos Jadinar

* * *

The wave of Laotian steel and flesh flowed towards the fortified habs in the city of Braxen Alpha.

Lasguns blazing, Flamers whooshing, Heavy bolters and Autocannons booming. The Hammer of the Emperor was ready for another vicotry.

Unlike most Guard companies that range in size from 200-600 men large, the amount of men in a Laotian company is at average 450 men plus support personnel, which means Priests, Commissars, Medics, and Administratum adepts and other miscellaneous men and women which help keep the Guard running.

As the company deployed towards the habs, Mortar teams set up and started to shell the Chaos cultists holed up in the buildings throwing up plumes of broken bodies and clods of dirt and stone. Platoons under sergeants Uwel, Inoq and "Gritty" Gorh smashed their way through the streets of the confused cultists shooting them down with blurts of lasfire, impaling and chopping down those which stood and fought and then igniting groups of them as they fled with Flamers.

Captain Bayern watched as the slaughter happened feeling a righteous sense of satisfaction as he watched the Chaos lovers destroyed but knowing that this was the easy part, they haven't yet reached the fortified chokepoint, that would be the true test, that was when his plans would either be blessed or rejected by the Emperor. This was the time that Bayern loved to be captain as he watched his men sweep over the enemy, blowing through them with focused firepower and hacking them apart in close combat.

Just then he heard the ugly dull boom of the field guns Lietenant Argos was talking about and then he felt the vibrations as they hit the ground. He saw the impacts as they crept towards his men but was inwardly glad because that would give his sentinel pilots and salamanders a point of reference for attack.

He watched as the platoons ran into the main chokepoint of the enemies defense, he saw as the enemies poured from the surrounding area to reinforce it and again he smiled. It was time to get his hands dirty, he walked over to his companies chimeras and motioned to the driver to start the race towards the battle. He entered the transports rear and nodded to the men seated there, they were going to battle.

* * *

2nd Companies chimeras hit chokepoint like a rampaging ogryn hit's the nearest thing it sees. Specially equipped vehicles with Dozer blades hit the pile of rubble and collapsed that entire section of the chokepoint. At that time the rest of the chimeras roared through the gap firing their turret mounted Multi-lasers and Stubbers.

All the cultists that were assembling behind the fortifications were caught beneath their wheels with sickening crunches or made into that exotic cheese nobles liked that were filled with holes by the vehicles hull mounted weapons. Captain Bayern watched that destruction as he swung the Multi-laser around in arcs of fire that ripped into men with large mists of superheated blood, the vehicles decimated the cultists.

The Captain's charge was finally stopped as the vehicles started to be destroyed by RPG's the cultists had armed themseleves with, Bayern roared over vox to disembark from the vehicles and engage the enemy in hand to hand, knowing his men would have the advantage.

Captain Bayern rose out of the turret of the chimera and readied his weapons as he strode out of the assault ramp and into the maelstrom of battle with a prayer to the Emperor on his lips.

* * *

The first enemy he met was garbed in the bloodstained robes of a scribe but looked nothing like the old bookie the man used to be, his eyes were wild and he yelled prayers to his infernal gods as he raised the axe in his hands to chop him down.

Bayern didn't give him a chance as he darted forward and lopped both the mans arms from his body with a single powerful sweep of his _uniyyal_ and then doubled around with the blade point first and ran the man threw with ease that one would see a child lift a toy. He watched as the feverish light behind the mans eyes disappear as he yanked his blade out.

He then turned his head to see the battle raging around him before raising his Laspistol and shooting one of cultists in gut turning his once heroic charge to a red ruin.

The man's body continued its way forward because of its momentum before landing in a heap on the ground. He jumped over the corpse and sprinted towards the next knot of the madmen to aid his beleaguered men which were engaged in frantic close combat battle.

He slashed downward with his sword and cleaved through the skull of the first men and then did a upward slash which disemboweled the next one before kneeling and shooting a quick burst of fire which made most of his target's head and neck disappear in a puff of blood.

Allowing his combat instincts to take over he did a quick semi-circle before rising and slamming the butt of his pistol into the throat of the next enemy and then using his sword's razor edge and his own momentum to allow his sword to nearly cut the man in half. Before rising to his full height and putting a lasbolt through the heart of a wounded cultist.

He danced and wirled through the press of men chopping,stabbing and shooting with a grace only a expierenced warrior could achieve. He brought his whirlwind of death to an arubt stop, noticing that his sword and armour was covered in blood and his laspistol's barrel was still smoking from discharge, as the battle was won.

Bayern saw that his adjutant Nuls was among the group he had helped. His combat Shotgun still smoking from the blazing of shells through its muzzle and a fine drizzle of blood misted his battle gear.

"Thanks for the intervention, sir." said Nuls with a wry grin, which he answered it with one of his own.

"Someone had to pull your ass out of the fire Nuls."

Nuls chuckled before saying, "Sir, this sector is almost clear, Lieutenant Argos just reported that his Sentinels and Salamanders had wiped out the Mortar crews."

Bayern shook his head in admiration of his old friends skills, "Tell him a job well down Nuls, but ask him if he could slow down a bit its only the been 25 minutes, he's making the Emperor's elite look bad."

"I'll ask him, sir." said Nuls with a shake of his head.

He walked over to the command chimeras vox caster set to reply to the Lieutenant. All around the captain battle still raged but it seemed to have been pushed towards the center of the habs, where the enemy was expected to make its last stand.

And also where the Chaos Marines are most likely to be too, thought Bayern.

"NULS!" he shouted towards the command Chimera which his adjutant had just entered.

"Sir?" enquired Nuls who showed his head out of the hatch of the chimera.

"Also get a hold of the leading edge of the force driving the wedge into the enemies stronghold too Nuls and tell them too secure a good position, regroup and wait for reinforcements."

"But sir wouldn't it be wise for them to continue onwards and finish them off?" asked his adjutant timidly, not wanting to upset his commander.

Bayern turned his head back towards the man and smiled grimly, "Trust me Nuls, there gonna need all the help the Emperor himself can provide."


	3. Cleanse the Mutant

Authors Note: Longest Chapter yet and I am sorry if ther stil isnt enough action for you hardcore war fan in my story yet but dont worry another few chapters will satisfy completely. OH and also please give me reviews about what i need to fix/add or just requests and stuff. Lord Magos Jadinar

* * *

Sergeant "Gritty" Gorh Sergey of the 2nd Company in the 14th Laotian Griffons stood on a pile of smoldering corpses as he surveyed the field of battle, his large spiked mace in one hand and a .40 cal Autopistol in the other.

Gorh was easily over 2 meters tall with a lot of bulk on his frame, all of that bulk muscle, and the skin over that muscle covered in scars, Gorh was considered a scary man by most standards and if you knew him well enough you would learn those rumors were true.

But not in the traditional way of people thought of scary, no not at all.

He observed the enemy as they dug into the rubble that used to be the front wall of the large center complex in the hab district.

He watched as they put Stubbers and large-overly sized Autoguns of some old design that looked like they would jam the first shot, but knowing that Fate has a weird way of looking at things, he knew that they would likely work well enough to lob their ridiculous sized bullets to destroy his men and armor with ease.

Originally when he joined the Guard he was a commander of a Leman Russ, until he decided that he wanted to be infantry, too almost eveyones suprise, and joined up with 2nd Company. Thanks to his personality he was almost immediately put into position of command of men, the men under his command and even out of it soon began to call him "Gritty" because of his love of footslogging and all things that comes with being in the infantry, which means close combat.

And if there ever was anything scarier than a big ass man coming at you with a blade, nothing is.

That's why Gorh was scary, he unlike most men in the Guard, loved the feeling of getting up close and personal with the enemy. It was rumored that he once even beat a Ork Nob in hand to hand combat with just his helmet and even though it seemed unbelievable, if you were there when it happened you would never doubt any of the rumors about him ever again.

He took another look around him as other platoons set up around the area, placing Comm stations, Mortar pits and Medicae stations. He heard a call and saw one of his troopers, Private Ter or "Twitters" as he was known around the company, jog towards him saying that there was a urgent message for him from Nuls, Captain Bayern's adjutant.

"Thanks trooper.", he said as he took the vox receiver from his hand, "No problem, nih,nih, sir." answered Ter with a slight twitter of his head and his traditional "Nih" in his speech.

As he walked away toward his squad Gorh put the receiver to his mouth saying, "This is Sergeant Gorh here."

" Good day to you Sergeant, the Captain sends his regards with taking the streets from the enemy with minimal casualties." responded Nuls.

Gorh was genuinely happy with the compliment as any form of recognition from the Captain was a sign that you definitely did something right.

Breaking away from his thoughts he asked, "So what is this urgent message Twitters told me about, Nuls?"

"Well Gorh it seems that there is a bigger threat than just dug in cultists here."

The Sergeant was surprised at this news as he had heard nothing of a bigger threat, "And what would that be Nuls?"

There was some hesitation on the line before saying, "Well it seems that there is Traitor Marines dug into the habs with the cultists, Gorh."

Nuls waited for a response in the command Chimera, "Gorh?", "Sergeant Gorh?"

Then suddenly there was a burst of static on the other end, "What say again Sergeant?" another anxious moment.

"Nuls.." said Gorh on the other line with a tremor in the big mans voice, "I think I've found your Marines Nuls."

Before the line cut off with blurts of heavy fire and terrible roaring that Nuls knew belonged to one of the most terrible creatures in the universe.

* * *

As the Jaotian's had set up around the last part of Chaos resistance, the yet to be seen Chaos Marines came out to fight.

They wore sickly Green Power Armor which seemed almost alive with sickness, growths, tendrils of diseased flesh and streams of mucus and other unidentifiable fluids streamed off their armor in excess amounts and etched onto huge, over ornamented weapons were catchatisims to the Blasted God of Blight and Disease, Nurgle.

These were the Death Guard, one of the Traitor Legions which had turned to worshipping the powers of Chaos and they were absolutely deadly.

As they first emerged from the Chaos held complex the Guardsmen setting up around the building instantly felt ill and many vomited, soiled themselves or went into convulsions, and all felt a hot, sickly sweat form on their bodies at just breathing the same air with the abominations.

The Marines were initially able to advance with no opposition as the stunned Imperials wavered in the face of these terrible apparitions of Chaos, but then thanks to 2nd companies great Battle Priest, Brother Ulric, who yelled Prayers to the Emperor and brandished his massive Eviscerator chainsword in the air, rallied the men along the line and they began to fire at the Traitors.

Lasguns, Mortars, Heavy bolters, and Autocannons opened up all up and down the line, smashing the combined firepower of the company into the Marines.

But Even with the massive amount of firepower focused on them, the corrupt Death Guard Marines kept on coming through the fire, their ancient amour protecting them from the fire. Even when the rain of fire did manage to penetrate the archaic plate, thanks to their super-human physiques and the dark blessings of Nurgle, the wounds bothered them about as much as a bug bite.

They didn't even bleed when their armor cracked upon under the fire, rivers of filth and other foul liquids spewed out , before the wounds crusted over with pus filled blood.

As they advanced ever onward they raised their bolters and squeezed off burst of shells which hit men with deadly accuracy. Heads exploded, limbs were torn off and chests were broken open by mass reactive bolts.

"Keep firing men! Keep firing! For the Emperor!" Yelled Sergeant Inoq Kasix as he stood over the sandbagged weapon emplacements firing his lasrifle towards to the marines.

"Sir!" yelled Trooper Reg over the din of fire.

"What Trooper!!!?" half asked half yelled Inoq.

"The Marines are almost with in hand to hand distance, do we fall back sir?"

Inoq thought quickly about this, as he reloaded his Lasgun, Reg's face appeared in his line of vision again, "Sir!?", Reg voiced his question again desperation in his dirt stained features and blood stained, golden combat armor.

Sergeant Inoq stood, "Give the order to fix blades.", with steel in his gravelly voice.

* * *

Captain Bayern watched as the first of the Traitors hit Sergeatn Inoq's and Sergeatn Karsky's portion of the line with unbelievable ferocity. He hoped that they would hold as he had bigger problems right now, as three of cursed marines were heading towards his section of the line.

He unholstered is pistol and unsheathed his _uniyyal_ blade and then announced over the vox, "Fix blades men."

He strode up to the massive Sergeant Gorh who was readying his men for combat and checking his own weapons, the large spiked mace he loved so much and his big caliber Autopistol.

"Your men ready Sergeant?" he asked the big man.

"Yes sir, about as ready as any man can be when facing Emperor forsaken Super-mutants sir." replied Gorh with not much enthusiasm.

"It could be worse sergeant." replied Bayern.

"How?"

"Well for one thing we have me and of course our ultimate weapon." he said.

"What secret weapon?" asked Gorh with curiosity in his eyes.

" Your body odor, it can repel even Nurgle worshiping filth balls with its stench." he answered the Sergeant's question with no little amount of seriousness.

"Thank you for your confidence sir, now it seems the enemy is upon us, ready to fight?" asked Gorh with complete seriousness now that life and death were on the line.

Bayern looked at him and said, "Follow me." and ran towards to front of the fortifications.

* * *

Death Guard Sergeant Kurnic-Furtalz looked upon the enemy he smote with bile filled eyes flashing with hatred.

They were puny specimens of humans he contemplated as he slew them.

He lashed out with a foot and neatly folded one backwards with his supernatural strength before turning and shooting off a burst of bolts that turned two more of the gold plated guardsmen to mush before swirling around faster than the eye could see and chopping three more men in half with his rune covered daemon blade.

He laughed a diseased laugh as their blades and shots struck his armor with no effect and he laughed harder as they rushed him, the mightiest warrior on this planet, NO! He thought, the mightiest warrior in this entire sector !

He saw them charge at him with the terrible slowness that counted for the definition of speed for mortals.

He grinned as they stabbed at them with gleaming steel bayonets or slashed at him with large combat knives, he watched all of their futile efforts with limitless mirth .

He chuckled maniacally as he took off his helmet, exposing his malformed face and breathing a great lung full of air into one of the mans faces and watching his flesh sag and liquefy just at the touch of his corrupted breath.

He then turned emptied his huge bolt pistol into the mass of men in the closed combines of the trench, the tightly packed flesh not able to withstand his firepower, the group of men blew apart under his fire.

He strode down the hastily constructed pathways slaughtering all that he came upon until he reached a large tent with the Aquila upon its top. He scowled at the sight as he stood in the center of the many mauled corpses of the Laotians that had been rushing down the way he had been coming.

He was striding towards the tent looking for more opponents to kill when he saw a man out of the corner of his eye.

Turning around an, evil smile on his face, already contemplating the way he was going to kill this one when he saw a man was garbed in the robes of a priest of the False Emperor and laughed as he advanced towards the man.

In the Battle Priests hands growled a large chainsword, and on his lips were prayers to "honor" the False Emperor, his lips moving in silent prayer.

He advanced towards the man and stopped just short of him asking, "What is your name puny one?" his voice filled with relish for the fearfully spoken reply that would come next, what he got instead was much different.

"My name is Ulric and I am here to kill you."

Kurnic-Furtalz had a reply when he noticed he couldn't feel his legs he looked down noticing for the first time the ragged chainsword marks that cut through his mighty plate, as he fell to the ground and saw the descending chainsword he could only think one thing, " Dam all holy men…" he mumbled as his long deserved death came to take his evil soul.

* * *

Captain Bayern watched as the Death Guard advanced down the trench, the massive bolter in its hand barking and sending men flying down into exploded heaps or if they got close enough smashing them down with the butt of its bolter, breaking skulls and collapsing ribcages like dried twigs, or using its hands to rip off limbs and snap necks.

Bayern strode forward with Gorh as they fired at the monster barely even denting the armor it wore, he watched as trooper Ashan walked forward and bathed the monster in flames his Flamer roaring its dragon breath upon the monstrosity. But for the affect it was having on the Marine it minded it no more than a bath in warm water. It just kept coming and shot the trooper in the chest, which sent his exploded body to the ground, the trigger to the Flamer falling out of his hands.

Then Sergeant Gorh was a part of the melee as he smashed his mace into the side of the marine's head making it stagger and the armor splinter but before he could strike again it turned around and with a flick of its arm sent the man flying backwards.

Captain Bayern then came up and thrust his blade upwards to a weak spot in the armor watching his blade penetrate and then a torrent of filthy blood poured out of the flowed out of the wound. The Marine roared in anger and directed its gaze towards him.

He ducked down as the beast swung its bolter at his head before charging towards him with its huge hands outsretched. He narrowly dodged that attack too but as it passed by he lashed out towards the spot Gorh had first hit with his mace and cutting through the weakened armor and lodging his blade in its skull.

It stopped running before feeling for the blade in its skull and then grasping its hilt and wrenching it out with a twist and turning to face Bayern again.

Its eyes burned with hate filled fury and as it advanced towards him. He thought these would be his final moments in service to the Emperor until he noticed that Gorh had stood up again and in his meaty fist was a grenade.

He looked back towards the Chaos marine and said, "Guess what abomination? You lose."

It stopped and started at him for a moment before Gorh threw the grenade and blew up its head in a explosion of gore.

He looked towards his sergeant and said, "Its about time Sergeant."

* * *

Commissar Sev looked upon the burning habs of Braxen Alpha with a smile on his face.

He saw troopers taking the corpses of the enemy and throwing them into the great pyres and other walking about and dispatching the enemy wounded with quick jabs of their bayonets, the flames flickering around them all the while.

After 2nd company had destroyed the enemy Marines they had made a quick counter-attack on the demoralized cultists which quickly turned into a slaughter as the Laotian's fell on them with vengeance for their comrades burning in their souls.

Commissar Sev looked upon this destruction and was happy, for this was the Emperor's work, cleansing the damned so that humanity might continue and fight for its existence.

He turned around as Captain Bayern approached him, his bloodstained weapons in his hands and ash and blood covering his lean features.

"Commissar Sev, what a pleasant surprise." said the Captain with a weary voice.

"What brings you to my 2nd company?"

He studied the Captain for a bit longer before saying, "Your men are to get ready immediately for transport back up to _Emperor's Paladin_ in orbit, the Colonel has ordered the regiment to leave this planet, we are going to a new war Captain." he stated with a sense of finality that brooked no argument.

Bayern looked at him with a great sense of tiredness in his soot stained face before asking, "And we where are we going Commissar?"

The commissar turned to regard him once more with his cold eyes, " Yanir captain, or to be more exact, Tau controlled Yanir."

And strode off towards the shuttle that had brought him here.


	4. Intermission

Well have you guys liked my story so far, since I wouldn't know as there is no reviews…. But there is much more to come!

I will be skipping directly to the Laotians arrival on the planet Yanir since I think there is no point including the space travel in between. As I am a man of action, I want to see skies filled with anti-aircraft fire and battles on open planes where blade clashed against blade, the rumble of tanks and the strum of arrows!

Some reading the stories will want to have a chapter of when they traveled in space (hopefully not) but I will not make one at this moment , but if I do it will have more adventures and stuff like that which people that want to see some interesting stuff are looking for.

So be ready for more blistering Sci-Fi action! Also I will most likely be adding a chapter during the weekdays and 2-3 chapter on the weekends. So I am hoping for this story to be 12-14 chapters long with maybe a sequel or entirely new story following it. So there will most likely be new stuff every few days for all you mega-readers.

I will probably put a chapter like this every once and awhile to inform you about crap and tell you important changes and stuff, And PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GOD-EMPEROR give me some reviews/comments so I can learn what to fix or add.

So good day and may the Machine God watch over you. Lord Magos Jadinar


	5. Arrival

Authors Note: Well still no reviews.. so here is the next chapter yes it is not the awsome war yet that i was telling you about but it is necessary to the story to give you some details about the huge size of the invasion. Also if u notice that special character in the story i just had to, he'll be important later on i promise :D!And dont worry next chapter it where the war REALLY begins. Lord Magos Jadinar

* * *

The planet of Yanir was one ugly rock, thought Admiral Decca, commander of the _Emperor's Paladin_ Gothic Class Cruiser.

He watched as Imperial Guard dropped through the atmosphere towards their objectives on the ground below, orbital defense fire slashed up from the planet with blinding brightness and size. Shooting inbetween Imperial Ships with a closeness that was too close for comfort.

He saw drop ships explode and be obliterated as they were touched by the defense fire coming from the Tau held cities and fortresses.

He had seen many battles but the sheer size of this engagement against the Tau was still staggering to the Admiral. The Lord-General must have shipped in over 14 regiments of Laotian Infantry alone, not even including the armored Laotian regiments.

The Tau have picked the worng planet to conquer.

He turned from the sight of thousands of navy troopships falling to the planet below and looked at the command deck below him.

He saw naval ratings, Mechanicus adepts and armsmen bustling about the floor. Servitors were wired into their stations performing their intended mundane duties that helped keep the ship running with limitless efficiency.

He then said aloud to one of the Mechanicus adepts to show him the 3-D holoscreen of the space battle that was taking place in the orbit of Yanir. He watched as the Imperial cruisers _Reamer _and _Crux _loosed their payload of attack craft housed in their bays on the Tau ships that were positioned just on the other side of the Imperial Fleet.

He snarled in disgust at the abominable xenos that he was facing in combat. The new empire of the Tau was spreading rapidly across the universe securing itself as a soon to be galactic superpower. Every race they came across was offered the choice to join the "Greater Good" or then fight a war with the Tau and join the Greater Good.

Decca gave a sneer at the thought, join or be conquered and join, the Tau's Greater Good was just an excuse for power. They even had the impunity to subjugate the human race, the undoubted superior race of the universe!

But even with their arrogance he couldn't help but be impressed by their soulless techno-sorcery, even if it was still no match for the might of the Imperium.

He saw the great Retribution Class Battleship _Laotia's Might _emerge from the press of Imperial ships followed by several other mighty Battleship's and a group of Cruisers along with the swarm of Frigates and Destroyers that circled around both the Cruiser's and Battleships like a plague of locusts.

He knew that the battle that would decide the fate of the men falling to the ground below was about to be started, and though it would be bloody the Imperium would win, as it always does.

He turned the intercom next to his command chair and said into the speaker, " All personnel report to battle stations, prepare for attack run we are going in!"

Below him the crew started to bustle off with frantic speed towards different parts of the deck. He then switched channels on the speaker and said, "Master of Weaponry report status of weaponry ." The speaker crackled with life as the reply came back, "All weapons are armed and ready admiral. Loading crews are in place and hulls are locked down." Decca smiled with the efficiency of the man, "Thank you Master of Weaponry rest easy for now but be ready, I will need your guns in the battle to come." "Yes sir, admiral."

He then switched channels again and saying into the speaker, "Magos Jadinar, are the void shields up and running?" A moment of static before, " Yes Admiral Decca, commander of the Gothic Class Cruiser _Emperor's Paladin, _all voids shield are running at 96.45% and all Life-Support systems are running at nearly 97.34%." the monotone voice that issued forth from the speaker had nothing to do with machine's inability to carry emotion through the comms.

The Magos had as much emotion in him as a recaff brewer, thought Decca wryly to himself before replying, "Thank you Magos and please inform me of any new developments." "Yes Admiral" said the Magos and signed off. Shivers went down the Admirals spine as he thought of the only vaguely humanoid shape of the age old Magos. No one knew his true age except the Magos himself and maybe some other members of the Mechanicus, and if they knew they weren't telling.

Decca turned his thoughts away from the Magos as he again looked at the tactical screen of the ongoing space battle.

It seems that the recent charge of Imperial ships had created a great swirling melee, as well as the word implies in this environment, in the Tau lines. The Admiral smiled to himself as he thought of the havoc he would wreak once he used that gap created by Fleet Commander Vont with his Battleship _Laotia's Might _just a moment ago, its powerful broadside batteries punding into Tau shields.

He knew that it was his time to exploit the gap, he turned to the speaker set into floor next to his command chair again and said, " Navigator Flense please maneuver us to the gap created by the _Laotia's Might _if you will."

He felt the ship shudder beneath him as it accelerated towards the battle, the other ships around the Admiral, mainly Cobra class Frigates, followed him.

He connected himself to the machine spirit of the _Paladin _now, feeling its rumbled consent through the decks as it powered through the void. He felt the tingling in his fingertips as the Gothic class cruiser's powerful lance batteries powered up and felt a electric thrill pass through his body as the broadsides and defense turrets were readied all over the ship.

The time for war was at hand, may the God Emperor's will be done. These thoughts spiraled through the Admirals head in only about 2 minutes, thanks to the fact that he was connected to the ships logistics computers now, and now all those computers could predict only one outcome for his intervention on the battle, _total victory._

* * *

The world threatened to shake itself to pieces around Captain Bayern, of the many things spiraling through his head right now that was the one thing he was most certain of, besides the fact that he was going to see combat in a few moments.

The cramped interior of the troopship was like a small hell, even for the Bayern, who had experienced hundreds of similar drops in his nearly 19 year career with the 14th Laotian Griffons.

He fingered the grip of his ornate laspistol while alternately feeling along the length of his sheath for his traditional _uniyya_l blade. He looked around the confines of the ship noticing the nervous faces, some silent, some praying and some checking weapons. He looked next to him and saw his adjutant Nuls cradling his shotgun in his lap, his head against his chest. Bayern smiled at the sight, wondering still over all the years how Nuls could fall asleep so fast. He then looked on the other side of him seeing the dark-skinned form of the melta-gun toting trooper Lars, his gun created by master weapons smiths of Laotia to make the barrel of the thermal weapon resemble a phoenix's beak opened in a shrill cry.

He opened the vox channel to his company saying, "Platoon commanders this is Captain Bayern, status reports on respective platoons." Over the vox a myriad amount of voices that were the platoon commanders confirming his orders, except for one.

"Sergeant Uwel what the in name of the God-Emperor is the matter with your platoon?" with no small amount of frustration. " Well sir.." said the oddly non-remarkable voice of the 8th platoon commander Uwel Zas, " It seems that a few of my troopers are getting having some equipment problems sir."

"What types of problem Uwel?" A sense of embarrassment was transmitted over the comms net, " Some of my men's lasrifles parts have seemed to have…broken, sir."

Bayern was furious at the turn of events as shown by his response, "Well get them so new rifles, dam it!

"Yes sir." Bayern laid back in his seat with a sigh of resignation. Then over the intercom he heard the pilot say, "2 minutes to landing, brace for impact." Instantly the atmosphere in the room changed to barely controlled nervousness, to battle readiness. He looked around him and instead of anxious expressons he saw determination on the troopers faces around him.

He sighed again and loosened his weapons in their holders, before starting to recite a prayer to the Emperor as he headed for battle.

* * *

The first troopships that hit the ground of Yanir opened up and deployed the 1rst, 5th, 9th, 12th and 13th Laotian Infantry Regiments along with the 7th and 8th Laotian Armored Regiments and further regiments of the Cadian 143th Mobile Artillery, under the command of Lord General Nacin Hans. They were directed towards the large cities Mnaj, Khudan and Tilbaut along with the surrounding areas.

As soon as Nacin's forces started to advance they encountered stiff resistance by the Tau troops, meaning fire warriors, battle-suits, Hammerheads, Devilfish Transports, and the Tau's mighty air force. Along with their Kroot and Vespid allies plus their human auxiliaries.

All the Imperial Tacticians in the Imperial Fleet were prepared for a stiff resistance but what the Imperial forces got was nothing what they expected.

In the first hour alone of the Guard invasion the skies of Yanir were filled with blazing missiles, bursts of plasma, las and autogun fire and whistle of Earthshaker's. Hundreds of pieces of armor and aircraft flew through the air with a deafening amount of noise.

Imperial Engineers immediately started to set up fortified artillery and troopship landing zones in a matter of minutes. Soon whole camps and trenches were being established as the Guard forces pushed onwards with the relentless force.

Past the never ending chain of troopships and fortified camps, the plains of Yanir were filled craters, burning grass and thousands of bodies of both sides. The fighting was so fierce it was said that whole companies of men were destroyed in a matter of minutes within landing on the planet.

The second wave of transports arrived on the surface near the oceanic regions of the large chunk of land that was considered the only habitable part on the planet.

This force consisting of the 2nd and 6th Laotian Infantry regiments and the 13th and 21rst armored regiments, along with the 567th Grand Vostroyan Artillery and 34th and 30th Stratix started to forge towards the coastal cities, Vaegir and Dhirim.

The resistance in this region was just as furious as the one near the more inland cities if not more so, the swampy regions of the area becoming so clogged with bodies and burnt out vehicles within the first week of the invasion that the Army engineers just built makeshift bridges over the debris to reduce the time required to construct them.

Lord General Felix Durntz who commanded this theater of the war against the Tau said he would never forget the sounds of horrible battle that had come from the marshes of the southern coasts.

The last wave of the invasion was deployed towards the Northern Hive cities of Khergit, Swadia and the great capital city of Naldera.

The forces participating in the assault was the 92nd Necromundan Artillery, 213th and 678th Krastern Armored and the 10th, 11th , 3rd and 14th Laotian Infantry, along with the 45th, and 69th Laotian Armored Regiments and forces of Battle Sisters and Detachments of Mantis Warriors Space Marines.

The fight in the North was where the bloodiest battles of the entire invasion would take place, such brutality on both sides that it was at the end of the war the civilian casualties was almost 40 times higher than the military casualties of both sides combined. War had come to another planet and it was ready for blood.

* * *

Authors Note: Expect next update this Friday, maybe Saturday


	6. Onwards to Victory

* * *

Authors Note: Ok new longest chapter and for the one review I have gotten ty for the compilment. As of now I will start accepting cameos, but i wil l tell you I have toruble with Tau names so i cant really write that well from Tau side. Unless someone wants to help filll me in on Tau info or help with writiting from their veiwpoint. But i will do Imperial Guard, Space Marine, Battle sister and even Adeptus Mechanicus characters (since they will be part of the story)

* * *

Death……what a strange feeling……or maybe its hell……..

Lt. Argos thought these thoughts as he saw nothing but darkness and felt nothing.

Then he noticed there was a crack in the darkness, a sliver of life in death. He headed towards it, salvation, hope. It felt like that it took all of his soul just to inch forward. Then his hands were pushing through the membrane of light and he emerged to what real hell was.

* * *

An inferno consumed the landscape, men and aliens writhed in death as they were riddled with las and pulse rounds. Vehicles on both sides blew up with what seemed like the force of nuclear warheads.

The blaze leaving a afterimage in Lt. Argos retinas, he stumbled about in the gore stained loam searching for a weapon. He tripped over the steaming entrails of a unidentifiable source, saving his life in the process as burst cannon rounds whistled over his head and piercing through a scout salamander ending its machine spirits service for the Imperium.

He quickly regained his feet and stumbled towards the nearest group of friendly guardsmen that sheltered around the wreck of a devilfish transport, the horror of war lapping around him like waves on a shore.

* * *

He blundered into cover with the group of guardsmen with a grunt of effort.

They all looked towards him with the sort of glaze in their eyes that spoke of battle shock. _Dam rookies, _thought Argos with barely disguised contempt.

"Whose in charge here?" he yelled over the din of battle.

One of the guardsmen looked over towards him and said, "Me…. Sir!" he answered back with a tremor in his voice that spoke of barely controlled terror.

Lt. Argos looked at the man and asked "What is your name soldier?" trying to calm him down with a bit of friendly chatter.

"Corporal Hung, sir"

" I'm in charge now corporal!" the man looked a bit relieved at the prospect and nodded while saying, "Yes, sir!" He looked around and asked, "What do we do, sir?" Lt. Argos Banticore of the Laotian 14th 'Griffons' Regiment looked around the battlefield before saying, "Get me some Emperor forsaken weapons corporal!"

* * *

Sergeant "Gritty" Gohr charged through the bullet ridden Tau fortifications with his platoon behind him, his mace raised above his head.

He snapped off bursts with his autopistol before diving into cover behind a pile of metal that used to be a Tau defense turret. Troopers Eric, Kaz, Orn and Sniper Hugo sheltered with him. Pulse rounds pinged and shrieked around Gohr overlapping the other deafening sounds of battle between the Tau defenders and Imperial forces

. A moment later three more troopers stumbled into cover with the Gohr, heavy weapons trooper Pols toted a rocket tube into cover with him while trooper Wes fell in with them with most of his legs missing, blood gushing out of the arteries like a fountain. The other man, Lucan, was already dead, his chest a crisped mess, the heavy golden amour over his body melted into the wound such was the extreme heat which had caused his death.

Gohr looked over towards Wes with a grimace of distaste before saying, "Kaz stop Wes from bleeding out will you!" Kaz looked at him with a dirty look before crouching down besides the man and binding his wounds.

Gohr peeked over the rubble, spying the shapes of the Tau and Kroot holding the point up ahead, before ducking back down as the large lead slugs and pulse rounds whipped into where his head used to be.

He looked towards the men in cover with him, "Were moving up boys!"

"Yes sir!" yelled the collection of men. "Pols I want a krak in that barrier as soon as Hugo makes them duck. Then we storm them! Kaz you stay with Wes!" All of the men nodded their assent except for Kaz who was to busy trying to stop Wes from bleeding out.

He peeked out again, "Ready?" a pause, "Now!"

Hugo took aim and snapped off a raid succession of shots with his long-las, the fire coming at their position reduced.

Then Pols rose out of cover yelling, "Ease!" which all the men yelled out automatically to prevent the bursting of their ear-drums with the increase of pressure, and banged off a rocket which streamed through the air and destroyed the stack of sandbags and ammo boxes which a loud, _CRUMP!_

_"_Charge!" yelled Gohr with a dramatic wave of his mace.

The squad broke cover with a roar of battle lust and a flash of bayonets.

* * *

Gohr sprinted towards the smoking ruin that had been the Tau position, his legs burning and his heart pounding.

It seemed everything slowed down for a second before he vaulted the torn apart barriers and landed in amidst the stunned Kroot carnivores and Tau fire warriors. He smashed downward with his mace and caved in the helmet of a Tau sergeant before shoving his autopistol into the face of a kroot and squeezing the trigger watching its head disappear in the hail of bullets.

He felt a sharp pain in his side and dropped to the ground with a grunt, turning onto his back and seeing the hilt of a Tau blade sticking out of back. He then saw his men smash into the xenos,the momentum of their charge behind them. He saw Eric shooting on full auto with his lasrifle killing two fire warriors that were raising their rifles. Before dropping into swirling melee, lashing out with the butt of his gun and firing point blank into bodies.

As the combined Tau and Kroot began to retreat backwards Orn jumped on top of the mass of aliens slashing and impaling with his bayonet. Then a Kroot stepped forward and slashed through Orn with a blade attached to the barrel of its crude weapon, spilling his guts across the grassy ground.

Gohr roared in anger at the kroot, as Eric ran towards it readying his combat knife. The kroot pivoted towards Eric swinging the butt of its rifle towards Eric's helmet and clubbing him to the ground before stabbing downward and slicing through his spine. At this time Gohr was trying to reach his dropped autopistol as the alien strode towards him raising its weapon above its head. Gohr desperately tried to reach his pistol waiting for the inevitable death blow but instead of a surge of agony and blackness he heard a a sound like a wet pop and turned to see the carnivore on its back, a fist size hole in its chest. The last thing Gohr saw was the boots of Hugo crunching towards him as blackness descended.

* * *

Captain Bayern rocked in the cabin of the _Warmonger_Leman Russ battle-tank as it roared across the plains in the midst of a huge column of Laotian armor as it drove towards the first of the hive cities of Khergit, laying waste to all before them.

He watched as a group of Tau Hammerheads appeared in front of the _Warmonger_and the tanks in front of it. The massive cannon mounted on one of the Tau's vehicles speared out a lance of energy from its hull and hit the Leman Russ in front of the Captain, _Workhorse_, shearing it in half in a catastrophic explosion.

The gunner aimed the Russ's cannon towards the Hammerhead and loosed off a high-ex shell which impacted towards on the hammerhead's shield rocking it back but not destroying it. It started to turn its turret towards Bayern but the Tank Destroyer _Snapshot _loosed a beam of energy at the hammerhead from its turret and blew it apart.

Bayern snarled in victory as the vehicle rocked below him as it rolled over abandoned Tau fortifications. He heard Navy Lightning's and Thunderbolts fighting with Tau Tiger Shark's and Barracuda's in the air, firing missiles and hull mounted weapons at echother.

He saw another group of Tau armor heading towards the Imperial vehicles, a collection of Hammerheads, Piranha Gunship's, Skyray Missile Platforms and Devilfish transports.

He watched as the gunner again readied the tanks battle-cannon to shoot the towards the Tau while the rest of the Imperial column reformed and reloaded.

By his side in the cramped confines of the Russ was his adjutant Nuls holding his shotgun tightly in his hands, looking a little worse for wear.

As the too sides clashed, shells, missiles and lines of plasma fire crossed through the air. Shells walloped out of the _Warmonger's_battle-cannon and heavy bolter fire blazed from its sponson mounted weapons.

A Demolisher tank roared in front of his view and a moment later its massive, stubby siege cannon roared into life demolishing a skimming Piranha gunship. The_ Snapshot's _gun spewed another lance of energy which lanced through a Skyray that was shooting missiles into the smoke filled sky and destroyed it with a terrific explosion as its munitions detonated. Then as if alerted by some sort of signal the Tau vehicles began to retreat towards the hive city which loomed in the horizon, leaving burnt out vehicles and wounded on the crater filled plains. Bayern turned to the captain of the tank, "Were getting out here commander."

* * *

Lt. Argos advanced through the Tau command post with most of the 2nd company behind him along with their sentinel's, chimeras and half-tracks.

They were the spearhead into the last Tau held defense's before Khergit, gun drones circled through the air unleashing volleys of pulse fire onto the Laotians. Kroot hounds leapt the air onto squads of men, ripping out throats and ripping through flesh.

Lt. Argos brandished his war axe, its edge slicing the air and firing the well used bolt pistol which he had a acquired from a commissar who had no need of it anymore.

He advanced towards a Tau building, its wrongness of angles disturbing his mind. A group of pathfinders firing their pulse carbines and rail rifles towards 2nd company through the windows. He lined up next to the door as one of the troopers following him set up a demo charge and blew the door of its hinges. As the first two guardsmen stormed in they were killed by a rail rifle fired point blank which cut through the men like wet paper. Argos screamed in rage and ran into the room rolling and coming to his feet swinging his axe and chopping through the pathfinder's head, splattering his brains over the walls. Before turning right as one of the Tau scouts fired its carbine in his direction, using his chest plate to absorb the rounds with his amour, it's plating melting and running because of the superheated rounds.

He stepped forwards and kicked, breaking the pathfinder's gun and swinging his axe towards its neck. The alien ducked his swing and drew its knife, slashing towards his throat but he absorbed it with his arm plates before stepping forward jamming his pistol into its stomach and pulling the trigger. The corpse dropped to its feet, a huge hole blasted into its stomach.

He turned back towards the door and sprinted outside.

* * *

Lt. Argos knew his advance was losing its momentum and he figured that if he faltered the Tau would be able to counterattack and drive the Imperial forces back, possibly making the Guard lose their foothold on this world. Tau and Kroot were stremaing from the surrounding buildings and setting up firing positions, that streamed through his men in waves of firepower.

Just then when he thought thinks couldn't get any worse Crisis suits and Broadsides appeared in his field of vision, firing missile pods, burstcannons, and the large plasma cannons mounted on the shoulders of the broadsides, butchering his men in the dozens and obliterating the vehicles in droves.

"Sir!" yelled Corporal Hung, "We need to call for support and retreat!" Firing his lasrifle in bursts towards the Tau battlesuits.

"No! We will win or die!" He placed a new clip in his bolt pistol, "For the Emperor!"

He charged through the battle, the corporal at his side, heading towards the front of the battle lines.

* * *

He reached the front of the battle line and started to hack through the kroot which had engaged his men with his axe, his pistol thumping out bolts.

He saw a Tau Crisis suit striding through his men, its flamer spewing prothemium from its muzzle, igniting dozens of men, grilling them in their armor. Its heavy silver blades attached under its weapons descending in sweeping arcs that chopped through men.

He ducked under one of the blades before heading towards one of the troopers who had been carrying demo charges, thinking maybe that could kill the Tau armor, all the while shooting and chopping.

He quickly crouched down besides the fallen Laotian and strapped together a bundle of demo charges before ripping off the det tape and hurling it at the battlesuit and hitting the ground at the same time.

The Tau pilot was able to turn its head partialy in his direction, as if accusing him of some crime, before it exploded spectacularly, scattering debris across the battling sides.

He glanced around him, seeing the guardsmen starting to falter as the Tau started to steadily push them back with their firepower, he stood, the recent explosion still ringing in his ears and yelling, "RALLY! RALLY TO ME!"

Over the vox net men were screaming their last prayers to the Emperor and wounded cried in agony.

Then he heard a cry in the back of company, "It's the Colonel! Colonel Bradington!" He turned back and saw the regiments banner flying over the field, a red Griffin emblazoned on a golden field.

He saw the Colonel's honor guard, dressed in ornate heavy golden carapace armor and carrying hell guns and plasma weapons, striding towards the battle.

Orgyn's carrying ripper guns charged through the mass of men and hit the Tau like a avalanche, smashing them under their feet or cleaving them apart in clouds of gore as they swung their weapons with the huge blades fixed on the ends.

Then the Colonel himself was seen, one of the most decorated war hero's in the entire Laotian history. His helmet was shaped into a dragon's snarling features and his chest and leg armor was etched with past victories and symbols of Emperor. In his left hand he gripped a masterfully made inferno pistol and in his right crackled a ancient gilded broadsword sheathed in a bright teal powerfield. Beside him stood the regiments standard bearer, Atreus, the regiments flag and plasma pistol glinted in his hands.

They demolished the Tau with concentrated hell gun fire and streams of plasma before charging into close combat and taking them apart with ancient power weapons as old as the regiment itself or even older. The Tau battlesuits slowly were destroyed one by one until only one stood who steadily retreated backwards firing all its weapons and shredding nearly a dozen of the honor guard plus twice as many orgyn's before it was brought down with a sweep of the Colonel's broadsword which beheaded the pilot through its armor plating and sent a stream of steam and blood into the air.

The men gave a great cheer at the victory, whooping and hollering as they rushed towards the center of complex to raise the regiments banner. _Victory, at what cost? _Argos thought this as the medical chimeras were already arriving to take away the dead and help the wounded. He turned towards the cheering Hung and said, " Lets go, we got a debriefing to get to."

Striding towards a chimera he heard the sounds of gunshots on the wind, as the Laotian's relieved the Tau wounded

* * *

In the smoky room in the center of the main Imperial camp officers of all the differing regiments stood or sat and smoked or drank fine liquor, chatting about toady's victory.

All heads turned as Lord General Macin appeared on the holoscreen in the tent, as his ship had yet been able to get him down to the planet.

"Gentleman, we have won a great victory today." there was a murmur of assent throughout the tent.

The screen flickered as a gust of air blew through the tent, Macin waited for the interference to die down before saying, " But this was only one part of the campaign to win this world and the prize that comes with it." The grew eerily silent at the mention of the reason all the Laotian regiments had been deployed on this world. "We will win, or we will die. Regroup your men commanders for the next assault will be the bloodiest yet, for the Tau for sure had to fortified the hive cities. Praise the Emperor, gentlemen."

The screen flickered off as tech-priests arrived and started tend to the equipment, muttering prayers and waving incense.

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Authors Note: Good chapter eh? Plz review. Lord Magos Jadinar


	7. Burn the Heretic

Authors Note: As always plz reveiw and tell me any fluff problems or grammatical/spelling errors. And also if you wish I will do Imperial cameos now, cause I cant get Tau names right, unless somebody wantes to give me some help.

* * *

Brother-Librarian Ashok of the Mantis Warriors space marine chapter closed his eyes and searched for the enemy with his physic senses.

Unlike most major species in the galaxy the Tau were strange as they emitted almost no signal in the warp, mostly having to do with that they had no physkers in their ranks. Ashok's eyes opened with a grunt, his noble face turning towards the west, where he had found that the Tau were coming from.

Ashok was a intimidating figure in his burnished dark green power armor with intricate workings of black and gold worked on it. In his hands rested a double bladed force staff that radiated with waves of physic power. His head was bear, as he choose not to wear the special hood that came with being a librarian.

His eyes burned with a inner red light that gave him a almost demonic look to his aristocratic pivoted towards the force of Mantis Warriors that were assembled behind him, their green power armor blending into the grasslands almost seamlessly.

He opened the inter communicator channel between the brother marines that was wired into their armor and said, "Scout-Commander Octavious what is your status?"

Octavious's scouts were positioned ahead of his force of Battle-Brothers. "Brother-Librarian Ashok we have a visual on the enemy. I have my snipers aimed on their commanders."

"Thank you Octavious, be ready for the assault, we are right on the outskirts of the Hive city and once we start this attack the real battle begins."

"Yes Brother Ashok, Octavious out."

Behind him Tactical Squads Sulur and Relk along with Devastator and Assault squads Leyn and Frex moved forwards to their positions, ready for battle. Ashok couldn't help but grin as the Imperiums finest warriors readied themselves to kill the hated xenos who had sullied this world with their foulness. Ashok hefted his staff and walked towards his position to wait.

* * *

The first Tau vehicle that appeared was a scout Tetra, its passage almost soundless as a result of the Tau's techno-sorcery that had created it.

Two of the aliens operated the vehicle, one driving while the other looked on a some form of scanner, checking for threats. Behind the scouts skimmed a column of Tau vehicles, teeming with Tau fire warriors, gun drones and pathfinders.

On the smoky horizon the giant hive city of Khergit dominated all the marines visions. Artillery on both sides dueled and aircraft passed overhead headed towards their attack run sites in the city.

The Tau vehicles were directly in front of Ashok now, he could their faint whisperings of skimmer technology as they passed by. He turned on his vox and sub-vocalized, "Now Brother Leyn!" and in response lascannon's, missile launchers, heavy bolters and devastator plasma guns opened up followed by the sound of exploding Tau vehicles and scream of alien soldiers dying. He vaulted out of his cover with a roar his staff already blazing with power.

* * *

Ashok smashed into the scout Tetra and slashed downwards with his force staff the blades cleaving through the vehicle as if it was made of nothing more substantial than smoke.

The pilots tried to scramble out of the vehicle but one was smashed underneath the vehicle and the other was cut in half by one of Ashok's spinning blades. He then turned a unleashed a wave of multi-colored energy out of his staff which consumed a squad of fire warriors, their power cells to their rifles cooking off in a explosion of energy.

He then half turned and saw assault squad Frex jump into the fray, chainswords flashing and bolt pistols barking. Sergeant Frex himself was smashing men to the ground with his power maul, shattering the Tau's frail bodies in discharges of energy.

Bolt rounds from the tactical squads screamed through the air, exploding torsos, pulping heads and smashing through limbs.

The Mantis Warriors had engaged the Tau with the perfection only space marines could achieve. Overlapping field of fire destroyed the Tau and scattered their formation while the assault squad and Ashok slaughtered them in close combat.

Ashok wheeled and spun through the battle, his armor absorbing projectiles, his staff whirling and cutting through bodies or impaling Tau on its ends, blazes of warp energy spewing from his fingers, engulfing vehicles and infantry alike with its dazzling flames. Ashok nimbly dodged a rail beam, it being able to penetrate his armor easily and stepped forward smashing his fist into offending Tau sniper's face, caving it in like a hammer hitting a rotten piece of wood. He turned and then slashed through another of the aliens and using his momentum put the tip of his staff through the armor of a Devilfish transport and killing its driver in a flash of energy.

A smart missile whistled past his shoulder and exploded behind him, ending the service of one of his battle brothers.

He opened the company vox channel again and said, "Octavious now!"

This entire time the twenty scouts had been sitting silent in the cover of the undergrowth, waiting for his signal. Sniper rounds began shooting through the air, splattering brains and bone acroos the ground as they struck. Tau soldiers that had steered to close to the bushes began being killed by swift stabs and slashes of combat knifes as the scouts worked their deathly magic.

As the scouts sprung he again yelled a order into the vox, resulting in a barrage of high explosive missiles from whirlwind batteries that were hidden behind the Marine's position, destroying the rear of Tau column in a flash of flame and panicking the xenos. Then as if the Tau thought that victory was impossible already, assault bikes and land speeders emerged from over the grassy hills, their forward mounted weapon firing, turning Tau soldiers to bloody paste. This battle was won, and now it was time to win the day.

* * *

Dark green predator tanks, vindicators, rhino's and razorbacks rumbled exhaust fumes into the evening air. Ashok clambered aboard the Land Raider, _Manti Exemplari_, and looked upon the might of the 7th company of the Mantis Warrior's chapter.

Thunderhawk gunships roared overhead, and assault bikes and land speeders prowled the fringes of the Marine armor. He laughed at the thought of the Tau actually believing they can beat the might of the Imperium and waved his staff forwards.

The Emperor's finest warriors traveled to the hive city.

* * *

Sister Charity of the Order of Our Martyred Lady washed her Adepta Sororitas Power Armor with ritual unguents and oils.

The power armor of the Adepta Sororitas is different form that used by the Space marines because of it's lighter and les bulky design, which allowed the unaltered Battle Sisters to wear it, even though it offered less protection and servo power. With her armor cleaned she then checked her weapons, a wrist mounted flamer unit and large power axe with purity seals on its haft. Each of the weapons had served her well over the course of her 30 years as a Sister of Faith.

After that process of her pre-battle cycle she began to place on her armor while chanting prayers to the Emperor.

She stood to her full height, servos whining, and strode out of her spartanly furnished chambers, the Emperor called for her. The attack on the hive city had begun.

* * *

Energy beams sliced around the Valkyrie transport as it dropped the Sororitas onto the roof of the Manufactorum building in the city of Khergit, the view offered from its top showing flames and ash, along with surface to air and air to surface fire, glowing throughout the massive city.

In the dark and winding Gothic streets of the city tens of thousands of civilians were being killed as they were caught between the Imperial and Tau forces, the two sides ripping apart the city in the wave of violence and brutality that existed between the two species ever since the Tau's assault on the planets of Gereziad and Canticar.

Blood ran ankle deep in the winding corridors of the city, burning wrecks and bloody corpses choked the walkways of hive.

She turned her attention back to the task at hand.

Her sisters had already secured the roof giving the Imperial tacticians the view of city that they had wanted to coordinate their assault and depriving the Tau of such a advantage. Squads of Sisters were already moving through the giant factory and engaging the human traitors which had joined the Tau when they had taken the city.

She gathered herself and headed inside the confines of building.

* * *

Las and auto rounds rang off of Charity's armor as she strode forward towards the traitors that were ducking behind a piece of machinery. Sniper's snapped off shots towards the Sisters, just resulting in wasted bullets as the shots failed ot penetrate the warriors armor. Grendades detonated and flamers whooshed as battle was joined in the huge factory that used to be the lifeblood of the city.

She ducked into cover with Sisters Lowell and Sabat behind a heavy weight lifting servitor, Lowell clutched two bolt pistols in her hands while Sabat held a multi melta in hers. They nodded towards her as she dropped in with them. "Sister!" yelled Lowell over the din of battle, "It seems the traitors want a fight, yet they will not me face to face!" she spat with hatred at the cowards.

"Soon you will get your wish Sister, for now we advance." Charity turned towards their comrades that were arriving in a steady stream behind them. They carried heavy flamers, bolters and multi meltas with easy skill. Firing towards the fortified enemy with bursts of heavy fire.

She turned back towards her sisters and yelled, "Ready?"

"For the Emperor!"

They leapt form cover weapons blazing. Lowell flew through the air on her jetpack unloading the clips of her bolt pistols into the heads of the xeno lovers, pulping skulls and faces. Sabat sprinted forward with Charity and jumped over the machinery while shooting a stream of super heated molecules into those sheltering behind it, turning them into steaming mush. Charity landed almost slipping in the human viscera before regaining her feet and lashing out with her axe and chopping through two screaming men whose eyes had been fried with flash of thermal energy from Sabat's melta. She absorbed the impact of a bayonet on her arm plates before kicking out and breaking the mans pelvis before switching on her flamer pilot light and sending a wave of flames out of its muzzle igniting half a dozen men on fire before striding forward and killing men with her axe with large sweeps.

She then stood and tossed a phosphor grenade into a stairwell where the rebels were retreating, the chemical reaction causing the grenade to burn almost as hot as tiny star, instantly turning the men to ash, cutting off their screams abruptly. A shaped loomed behind her suddenly holding a huge billhook his hands. As the traitor started to strike Sister Lowell landed on the man from the air her jetpack flaring, a crack of bones signalling the mans death.

As the glow faded from her helmet optical sights, she turned back towards her sisters, "Objective Secured."

* * *

Gunfire thudded against Captain Bayern's cover, the street was filled with shouts of dying men and aliens while the boom of explosives and heavy weapons added a backdrop to the scene of carnage in the apartment buildings.

The wall next to him vaporized as a beam of energy lanced through it. He looked around him bodies draped over chairs and other peices of furniture, "Nuls give me some covering fire!"

Autocannon fire tore through the room and splintered the shabby, soot stained furniture apart. The fire coming at him vanished as quickly as the furniture, "Ceasefire!"

The chugging of the 20 centimeter cannon stopped, as Nuls stood up and surveyed the room, covering his mouth with his hand, trying and failing to keep the wood and dust particles out of his throat. He picked up his shotgun as guardsmen moved through the room and packed up the autocannon before moving to occupy a new firing position.

Bayern held his _uniyyal _blade and laspistol loosely in his hands as he listened to the vox as the massive assault spearheaded by the space marines and battle sisters, slowly took apart the city of Khergit, while still hundreds of thousands of civilians died in the process. He strode outside into the hazy night air and felt rather than saw flights of Marauders and Furies unleashing volleys of missiles and clutches of bombs onto the city, collapsing whole parts of the city. Hundreds of Laotian men ran past him, following Colonel Bradington's Shadowsword super heavy tank, _Backbreaker_, and the smaller tanks swarming after it. Chimeras loaded with platoons of Armored Fist squadrons drove past, going to secure some unknown objective.

"Nuls any word on the vox of where my dammed sergeants are?"

His adjutant looked back at him as he fiddled with the voxcaster strapped on his back, "Nothing sir, the dammed battle chatter is making it hard to hear anything at all."

Bayern nodded at this absently, already knowing what the answer would be. He heard the whistle of shells and rockets launched from Basilisks, Manticore's and Griffons sounding through the air, as yet another artillery barrage came in on the devastated city. "Well then follow me, there is Tau to kill."

He strode towards the main square of the market district, where gunfire and the rumble of tanks sounded from.

* * *

In the square of the market district war was waged.

The Executioner class tank _Ravager_sped across the plaza, burning gouts of plasma shooting from its turret, melting stone, metal and aliens into the broken and shattered it revved the Extrminator Tank _Hell Hath No Fury_, its autocannosn and heavy bolters roaring, following the _Backbreaker_. Dozens of other battle tanks roared through the square, their firepower ripping through barricades and buildings.

Captain Bayern ran forwards through the tracer round filled air, his adjutant beside him, his shotgun booming. He raised his laspistol and fired some shots towards the enemy.

The figure of the huge tank _Backbreaker_, was visible on the other side of the square, rounds and lances of energy glancing and impacting on its super heavy armor, built to withstand even a direct hit by a high explosive artillery shell. Men were running over the square in their thousands, firing upwards or downwards into windows and doorways of buildings that loomed around them.

He turned as he saw a familiar looking gaggle of men running across the square, moving from pieces of cover to cover. He opened the vox net and said, "Father Ulric is that you?" the group of men were sheltering a few yards away from where Bayern was, and one figure stood up and looked in his direction before there was a reply on the vox net, "Captain Bayern, blessings of the Emperor upon you this day."

"Thank you Father but I need to know your force disposition and combat effectiveness we need to move up and support the Colonel's tanks."

"I have nearly one hundred-seventy devout servants of the Emperor with me Captain." A brief crackle of static before, "One hundred-forty three of my men are battle ready." "And I have a good amount of heavy weapons troopers."

"Good, on my signal you will break cover with me and the troops I have towards the toppled statues and fountains in the north of the square, we need to secure to make sure nothing can flank our forces."

"Yes captain, for the Emperor." The voxed clicked off, with a grim sense of finality. He looked around him at the thirty or so guardsmen sheltered around him. He looked around at swirling chaos taking place at the different levels of the hive city. He fired his laspistol in the air and charged towards the rubble.

* * *

Vespids whirled through the air around Bayern, the weapons in their hands blasting out bursts of energy which smashed men to the ground, crumpling armor and breaking bones. He ducked and weaved his blade cutting through the air and scything through buzzing wings and dangling bodies. Blood splashing is face and hands, Nuls was beside him his shotgun shooting, blowing through torsos and scattering brain matter. _Schkk, Boom, Schkk, Boom_, that was the pattern that Nuls shotgun made as it ended alien lives.

Bayern parried a razor sharp claw before stabbing forward and putting his blade into the heart of xeno, its body flopping to the ground, before another claw sliced through across his back, blood rushing forth in a river. He turned, yelling in agony, before shooting the Vespid through the head with his pistol and stabbing it in the groin for satisfaction.

He sat down on the steaming corpse, narrowly avoiding a burst of energy and pulled a grenade from his belt and tossed it into the buzzing mix of bug-like creatures, seeing them burst apart in the explosion.

He watched as Father Ulric blew his way across the battle, his Eviscerator chainsword roaring in his hands, cleaving and ripping apart the aliens with ease, his muscles bunching in his arms and shoulders as he killed. Lars the heavy weapon trooper followed him his masterfully fashioned melta hissing as he fired it.

Corpsman Likan hurried up to him, his lasrile firing in bursts as he took out bandages and painkiller tablets to help Bayern. He noticed that there was a buzzing in the air and the Tau forces were charging with renewed vigor towards the Colonel's Shadowsword, as yet more Guard tanks fought and died around it.

The Volcano Cannon mounted on the chassis of the tank, glowed with power as it charged, the barrel glowing with barely controlled power. Shadowswords were originally created to hunt enemy Titans, its massive cannon able to melt through meters of thick armor plating and void shields, but its mass of power coils prevented it from having sponson turrets, not making it an ideal support tank for battles like this. But its firepower would be needed to blast thorugh the Tau defenses. As the tank charged its cannon the Tau were focusing more on it, try to prevent from firing, groups of Fire Warriors, Kroot Carnivores, Krootox's and Piranha Gunships streamed towards the group of tanks surrounding the Colonel.

Bayern stood up suddenly as Likan dressed his wounds, lifting his sword and laspistol yelling, "Men! Fight! Die! For Colonel Bradington!" and charged back into battle, half made dressings flapping on his bloodstained back, stabbing, hacking and shooting in battle rage.

* * *

The _Backbreaker_ roared into life with the sound of an angry god.

Its Volcano Cannon blazing with heat, it hit the exchange building at the end of the square and demolished it completely. Vaporizing all the enemies in and around the building in a flash of searing light. The Tau instantly broke under the terrifying display of power. Captain Bayern, half dead from blood loss cheered with him, till he collapsed into blackness. Men cheered as the aliens ran away, shooting them in the back as they ran. Victory was the Imperium's, the sounds of furiuos fighting still echoed around the city, as the this was just the turning point in the siege of Hive Khergit, not the end.

Battle awaited, Death's gluttony was not yet filled.

* * *

Brother Librarian Ashok blazed with power, his armor scarred from weapon and blade impacts. The Land Raider _Manti Exemplari_fired its weapons in a tide of ammo consumption, the hurricane bolters spewing out ammo at a terrific rate and its lascannos and multi-meltas blazing with energy.

The full might of the 7th company had been deployed to take the East Gate of Khergit. Bolter fire ripped through the air, finding targets and detonating, sending broken bodies to the ground. Marines clubbed with bolters and slashed chainswords and combat knifes the size of swords. Ancient Brother Dreadnought Kruidan stomped through war torn plaza behind the broken gates of the city, firing its shoulder mounted missile launchers into the streets with war-cries from its vox speakers. Detonations blew towards the Marines as the missiles impacted, Dreadnought Kruidan stepped forward ,its tri-linked autocannons whirring to life and thumping shells out of the three large barrels, shredding Tau and Human auxiliaries with its arc of fire. Kruidan swuing his huge blade replacing its right arm forward and smashed through a rebel Leman Russ.

Ashok turned and sprinted towards the doorway of a Arbites building giving a good view of the plaza, a place to coordinate his assault. Slashing and spinning his way towards the door, he heard a clap of thunder and the reek of ozone as Sergeant Yarolek and his terminators transported onto the battlements of the gatehouse. Storm bolters clacked, assault cannons cycled and massive power and chain fists smashed through bodies and sent blood raining down upon the combatants below.

He arrived at the doorway and blew it off its hinges with a krak grenade at his belt before diving in, avoiding the fire from a heavy stubber and rolling to his feet and destroying the emplacement with a blast of warp energy. He sprinted up the stairs of the building killing those he found and arrived at the rooftop, his twin hearts pounding in his chest.

Below him combat raged as the Tau forces, who were in flight because of their losses in the main city ran headlong into the arriving Mantis Warriors. Ashok saw Thunderhawk gunships flying through overhead, rapid lasfire and missiles arching from their forms into the melee below, with loud detonations and explosions of gore and body parts. A vindicator tank rumbled forward and fired its massive gun, destroying a building in a storm of stone and dust. The stealthsuits sheltering in them tumbling to the ground below. He turned around and saw Apothecary Derechos standing behind him, his white armor stained with blood, his gene-seed holders surprisingly empty.

"How goes the battle Apothecary?"

"Victory is almost ours, Brother, with luck our losses will stay as low as they have."

Ashok nodded his consent, "These Tau are weak, and their human lackeys even weaker."

"They do not need to be strong commander, their technology does that job for them."

"That is true Derechos, get the Devastator squads up here to give us better fire support and let us return to the battle." They strode towards the stairs.

* * *

Magos Sedisvar looked upon mighty troop carriers, holding tens of thousands of Adeptus Mechanicus Skittari and other troops and machines.

Magos Jadinar and Coras stood beside him, their semi-human frames not moving at all, gazing at the might of the Mechanicus with their optical implants in place of their eyes.

"Magos Jadinar has the target location unidentified by our logic machines?"

"Yes Magos, it has been calculated and recalculated by our holy machines there is only a .179 chance of error."

"Good." the conversation between the two Magos had as much emotion as two Orks discussing anything but war. Sedisvar's vox speaker blared into life again, "Magos Coras how goes our deployment?"

"All Skittari units are currently being ordered, while our Ordinatus units are being fueled and armed."

"Praise the Omnissah" remarked Sedisvar, "Make obeisance to the Omnissah and ready yourselves for the greatest discovery in approximately three hundred standard years." The collected Magos bowed there heads towards each others and walked towards their respective tents.

* * *

Authors: Note Well pretty good chapter?


	8. Aftermath

Authors Note: hoping for a bit more reveiws so i can get some feedback on whether im doin well or not at my writing endeavors, so heres another chapter for all caring people. LMJ

* * *

Sister Charity sat on the rooftop of a wealthy merchant's estate home, bullet ridden frescoes and plants surrounding her, examining her battle gear in her free time from the trials of war.

Aircraft buzzed and whined as flights of Navy craft still buzzed in from orbit to scout ahead of the Imperial forces or commence attack runs on far away targets. Around her in the impromptu camp of Battle Sisters, women sat in prayer, slept or tended to their weapons and armor.

There was a sense of contained urgency in the air along with suspicion that seemed completely at odds with a successful invading force after a battle. But if the eyes were turned East, the source of those conflicting emotions would soon become apparent, to all those gazing towards the sight.

In the air and on the ground were a host of Adeptus Mechanicus might rarely seen any where but the mighty Forge Worlds.

Massive craft continually descended from orbit and upon landing lowered their cargo ramps, disgorged thousands upon thousands of battle servitors and fighting vehicles, along with transports, joining the ranks of already tens of thousands of their comrades. Towering above the whole grand procession though, were the might Ordinatus crawlers, thousands of tons of adamantium, steel and weaponry.

These machines were easily lengths of ten Baneblades, tanks that were the size of a small house and half as tall. The weaponry which each machine sported was either a main gun of energy or shell-lobbing cannons whose muzzles could fit three to four Leman Russ Battle Tanks inside. Bristling along the mighty constructions sides were dozens of anti-aircraft turrets and inside the meters of thick armored plating were huge engines and shield generators, usually seen on small titans. Indeed most of the Ordinatus machines weapons were those that were intended to be placed on Titans of varying sizes, but as slowly the God-Machines died, finding new ones to give the weapnry too was increasingly difficult.

The biggest of these machines was the one at the center of the ever enlarging group, sporting a unbelievably massive Nova Cannon usually seen on Imperial Battleships, the like which were now in orbit of the planet of Yanir. The Nova Cannon could destroy entire cities and armies with only a few shots, its mass reactive shell filled with highly explosive chemicals.

"What do you think the Mechanicus is going to do with all that firepower Sister Charity?"

Retrieved from her thinking, she looked around and saw Sister Superior Alicia, dressed in a dark black robe with an Aquilla brooch on its clasp. She immediately started to stand before the Superior showed that she wanted none of that formality at the moment, " No need to stand Sister, for right now in times of peace we are all equal."

Charity nodded at her words even if they did seem a bit out of place as the burning city of Khergit still rumbled with detonations and small arms fire crackled on the soot filled wind.

She turned back towards Alicia before saying, " What do you mean what are they going to do with that firepower, Sister Alicia? They obviously are here to help the forces of the Imperium triumph."

The older woman chuckled at her response, "You have not had much experience with the Priesthood of Mars, they would not expend so much of their precious technology on one planet unless there was something they wanted here. For the waste of resources would be illogical." On Alicia's face there was almost a expression of disgust at the talk of Mechanicus.

" You do not have a liking for Tech-Priests?"

There was a moment of silence before, "No I do not, they very rarely actually help in military matters of Imperium, even with their huge, technology graced forces. They prefer to just sit back and make weapons on their Forge Worlds and use that fact that without them there would be no weapons to kill the Emperor's enemies to get what they want."

" But without Mechanicus there _would_ be no weapons."

"Yes but that does not mean they have right to practically ignore all laws set up by the Council of Terra because of that excuse."

She had a point, even if it was somewhat small-minded. " So you believe the Mechanicus has a hidden agenda on this world?"

A nod was the answer to her inquiries.

" What do you think it could be? Some sort of quest for forbidden Tau technology or something even more secret?"

" Whatever it is, it will eventually alter the course of this war, of that I am sure."

The two Sisters of Faith looked back towards the site of yet more legions of mechanical warriors marching in perfect formations from the bellies of mass transports, both wondering at what the mysterious faction was planning to achieve.

* * *

Colonel Bradington Gunther Jager strode through the battle camp of the Laotian 14th Regiment. Around him and his reduced amount of hand picked Honor Guard, as he did not want to walk everywhere with a full company of heavily armed warriors surrounding him, men stacked supplies into trucks, ate meals, gambled, slept and did the thousand of other things a soldier did in its brief moments of peace.

Holstered at his waist was his ancient inferno pistol, passed down from generations of commanders of the 14th Regiment, its handle worked in fine pearl and metals. The camp and those surrounding it was filled with bustling activity as the armies of the Emperor prepared to move out to a new battle, as news from HQ had made clear this morning.

Surrounding the invaders on all sides were cracked and broken buildings, many which still had leaks of smoke rising from holes in their walls or broken windows, the fire damaged stone staring accusingly back at Guard forces, _ they_ had ruined the work of the past builders had tried so hard to create.

He stopped absent mindedly as a chimera passed by, its passengers saluting him, which he returned with a automatic movement of his arm, as the full cost of war settled upon his broad shoulders. Around the liveliness of the camp was a stark contrast of feelings and sights.

Dark burned out vehicles or habs surrounded on all sides crowing in on the Imperial's, corpses still littered many parts of the streets that weren't commonly used as supply routes, the burned and broken bodies staring at the sky or ground, mouths open in cries of death.

Some of these corpses were Guard, but most were civilian or Tau, as the commanders of the invasion force had decided against cleaning up _those_ casualties of war, deeming it " a pointless waste of productivity", leaving the remaining inhabitants of the city and nature to do the cleanup for them.

He arrived at his tent with an almost relieved feeling, welcome to be back at a place where he can think, his brow furrowing on his features, he waved his guards away, pushing back the flaps of the entrance.

His room was decorated with momentous of past victories, ork teeth from a commander of a warband on Agar Secondary, a Hrud skull from Yurt XII and even a eerily beautiful shuriken pistol from a Eldar Storm Guardian.

He sat upon his bed and removed his finely wrought helm while still pondering the turn of events these past few days, his featurs contorted in thought.

The Colonel looked like a man in his early forties with a collection of scars and smell of dirt and blood no amount of showers could wash away. He was in fact nearly 120 years old, a hundred of those years spent in the Emperor's service. He looked so young because of the attentions of some of the finest surgeons this Sector of the galaxy could offer, and with a large variety of well-crafted augementics.

Through his long and decorated career he had been wounded and almost killed so many times it was almost second nature to Bradington. The many medals and commendations located in a chest of personal items accounted for that.

But every time he entered a warzone where the civilians were being killed more than the enemy he felt disgust for bluntness of the Imperial Guard's might. But that was what happened when the enemy were xenos, they cared nothing for the lives of humans. He startled suddenly as Dragor, one of his guards stuck his head through the flaps of his tent, " Sit I think its time for us to start moving out."

" Thank you soldier."

He saluted and retreated from the space, allowing his commander some time to ready himself and let the troops help pack up his possessions. He stood on up and started to redress himself, all the while filled with a sense of unease about the whole war with the Tau, as if something was trying to worm itself in his mind.

He strode out his tent with a sense of foreboding.

* * *

" Captain!" the call echoed from down below, its cry rebounding off the walls of the battleship, _Laotia's Might, _flagship for Fleet Commander Vont Ferer, Hero of the Battle for Sarssa.

The Commander's pale face turned to the ensign that stood below his command throne, a look of nervousness on his face. "Yes ensign?"

The man saluted hurriedly before saying, " Are sensors have detected a anomaly, sir" A note of timidity entering voice as he talked with the renowned Commander of the Retribution class battleship.

" An anomaly, ensign?" a note of curiosity entering his voice.

" Yes it was detected on our scanners a moment ago, its origin was from the planet itself. It was a breif burst of controlled energy."

"I see, and why is that a anomaly, there is a war going down there. Energy weapons are used on both sides."

"Well, this signal was very powerful, as if having to do with a form of warp travel, sir."

"Warp travel?"

"Yes sir"

The captain swiveled in his throne his mind mildly confused at the information. He looked upon the activity below him, in the heart of his mighty battleship, trying to clear is mind.

" When was this detected?"

"Approximately, ten minutes ago sir."

" What do the Tech-Priests say about this?"

"They are as confused as us, sir. For they know that the Tau technology, however advanced, cannot create a small warp portal on the surface just for transportation, and certainly not for weaponry. Unless they had created this recently but t would have most likely been seen before."

As there was no reply the man continued, " Sir, if I am not stepping out of line but, shouldn't we tell the Guard commanders on the planet?"

"No, we will not, there is no point investigating this at the moment as they and us both have other things to worry about."

He indicated the huge Adeptus Mechanicus ships in orbit with those of the Navy, streams of transports still coming and going from their docking bays. "If you have not seen by now the Mechanicus convoy is a very large target for the Tau, and if they could, they would cause a lot of damage if they destroyed even one of those ships."

" But sir…"

'No" a firmness in his voice showing that he would have no more discussion on the matter at hand.

" Yes sir"

The captain again swiveled in his throne, looking upon the disposition of his forces, there was still a alien fleet to fight. He activated his comm link to the Tech-Priests, " I want a conference with the other officers of the fleet in thirty minutes."

"Yes commander."

* * *

Librarian Ashok mediated atop the destroyed East Gate of Khergit, his mind wandering, relaxing and refreshing him from the use of mental abilities in the last few days fights. A red glow emanated from his eyes, the latent use of his physic powers showing, as he explored and took apart the scenery around him with his minds eye.

Below him streams of Guard transports were steadily leaving heading towards the North, where their next objective is, delivered to them by general HQ.

Resting on the rubble strewn streets opposite of the traffic, was the Mantis Warriors camp, brothers were preparing their war gear for the next battle as vehicles were serviced. Brother Krudian's dreadnought body was powered down in storage as the ancient sarcophagus holding the wounded brother was placed back into a cryogenic state. Dominating the vehicle repair ground was the massive Land Raider, _Manti Exemplari_, its weapon systems powered down, its machine spirit resting, as it was rearmed and refueled.

Beside it stood the venerable tank commander, Tech-Marine Sulphus, his mechanical and organic arms moving around its hull checking for damage.

The tech-marine was a source of constant amazement for Ashok, as not only did he have command of one of the chapter's oldest and most powerful vehicles, but, not unlike the marines of Iron Hands chapter, preferred mechanical augmentation over his super-human physique.

As he searched around the camp of Space Marines minds eye was again drawn towards the landing site of the huge Adeptus Mechanicus forces, still arriving, though in not as nearly much numbers as the previous few hours.

He had wondered on whether or not to ask around with the tech-marines, but he doubted he would find much information there, as they probably knew only as much as him. He knew that he could throw around his authority to try and find the information he wanted, but he knew that he would get the same information, just in different forms, from the Imperial commanders.

As he settled down to meditate again the vox chimed in his ear. "Ashok here."

"Sir we have received a communiqué from the Guard commanders asking us to begin mobilizing, were moving out."

"Thank you brother."

"Sir?" the marine on the other end of the vox chimed in quickly.

Mildly surprised, " Yes Brother?"

" Why do you think the Mechanicus are here in such force? I have rarely seen them in these numbers."

A moments hesitation, " I do not know, but I know that it seems that the Mechanicus certainly wants it done."

As he cut the line, and brothers down below started to prepare themselves, his mind once again wondered to the mystery of the huge Mechanicus forces situated outside the walls.

_What are they doing here?_

The only answer that came back to his thoughts was the sound of the company's vehicle's engines rumbling to life. He picked up his staff and started walking towards the encampment.

* * *

Magos Sedisvar looked upon the might of the Machine-God as he saw his endless amount of warrior's march in perfect formations that were shaped in ways that pleased the Omnissah. Beside him, as he stood on the bridge of the mighty Ordinatus machine that bore the Nova Cannon, tech-priests and engiseers moved about and checked monitors and screens waving incense, and chanting prayers in binary, the secret language of the Priesthood of Mars, while occasionally adjusting a dial or knob.

Servitors were wired about into many machines, constantly performing their programmed tasks. Sparks of electricity and bursts of steam announced itself every few seconds as the power flowing through the mechanical veins of the huge crawler sometimes escaped from the seams of pipes or wires.

He could feel the power of the machine's spirit around his quasi-humanoid form, the rumbling of its tracks and the humming of its power its voice, while the massive cannon sheltered in its body would be its mouth as it spoke.

He knew that the power of the machine was strong and would always defeat the weakness of flesh. Just looking at the power of his army, as it was indeed his, would easily show any onlooker that truth.

" Magos." A mechanical voice blared, the hunched form of the magos turned slowly to face the speaker, the powerful servos in his almost piston like legs whining as they moved is weight.

" Yes Tech-Priest Hang?" his reply equally mechanical.

" The adepts situated in the engine rooms have informed us of full readiness and Magos Coras and Jadinar have also reported 100% readiness for mobilization, how shall I reply?"

There was a pause as the Sadisvar's brain units processed the question, going through answers and variables before his vox implants blared into life again, " Tell him to commence the operation."

The priest nodded before striding off, his cog-bladed power halberd held in his hands.

He waited as the Tech-Priest waked away before resuming his brain unit's functions, his mind whirled and clicked processing through information at a incredible rate. Images of lifeless, dry ground, a dark black sky, buildings that absorbed the light, a cavern that glowed with a necrotic green light, and then a world without life, covered in sand and clouds whirred through his skull, and a date.

_M20: Explorator Expedition, Adept Remag. _He shut off the flow of images, the prize was nearly in his hands, now was the time for action.

* * *

Around the fringes of massive Imperial force shadows and blurs of light flitted, so fast they only seemed like a imagining of the brain.

But if one would be able to focus on one of the unknown disturbances you would see they moved steadily forward towards the Imperial's, moving from rock to rock, patch of shrubs to shrubs, stopping and moving again.

On the crest of a small knoll, just a small distance away from the stream of Guard vehicles the blurs of light waited.

Looking through the scope of his long rifle, Eloec, Pathfinder of Altioc Craftworld observed the _mon-keigh_, their primitive scanners and vision unable to see past the camouflage of his cameleoline cloak, it making him almost invisible to the observer.

His eyes were drawn to the impressive human vehicles, even if they were ugly. He knew what the _mon-keigh _wanted, and the Eldar would not let them have it, their ignorance would shatter all that the Eldar had sacrificed to achieve in the Great War before the Fall.

He turned back towards the other Ranger's that sheltered with him, "Quickly, we must be fast if we are to report back the seer." They nodded their assent at the veteran ranger before setting off into the west.


	9. Glory and Honor

* * *

Authors Note: Ok chapters like this will be used ot help you, the reader, understand the story better by seeing the conflict evolve over the world. I willl use chapters like these to help launch into new ones.

* * *

The Imperial Guard forces under Lord-General Nacin rolled over the rocky, mountainous regions outlying the city of Khudan, the rocky ground smashing underneath their treads.

The battle in the large eastern cities was one of almost limitless attrition, one which the Guard, as agrred upon by all the Tacticains in the fleet, was designed to win.

The Tau had constructed fortifications around the outlying areas of the city, surrounding them in trenches and bunkers, filled with carefully placed anti-air turrets and missile emplacements, ready to fill the skies with death. The Tau commanders had thought there defenses would be enough, no sane force would ever be able to break through without massive casualties, but as the Tau were still young and so sure of themselves they had no idea what the Imperium could unleash.

Lord-General Nacin upon hearing the of the arrogance of the Tau said to his commanders, "They thought they had faced the storm, and weathered its force, but they just crested the first wave."

Nacin's entire forces along with special companies of elite Guard storm troopers, entered the offensive with operation, "Hell's Wrath"

As the Tau watched, tens of thousands and troops and machines charged through the field of Tau energy and missile fire, the roars of Basilisk self-propelled guns, Manticore rocket launchers, Hellfire heavy artillery and other fire support weapons opened up behind the charging Guard forces.

Nacin himself led from the front, his elite honor guard units with him, as they were with all Laotian Generals that took to the field of battle. Their golden carapace armor freshly cleaned and their masterfully constructed weapons ready. Ready to protect their leader with death upon failure of that sacred duty.

As the xeno commander, the notorious Shas'el Shovah looked in horror upon the might of Emperor from his command tent. The first aircraft screamed overhead ready to unleash their weaponry. The Tau defenses were well constructed, pulse fire raced up into the heavens, arcing towards the bombers and fighters of the Navy squadrons, but the tacticians had already anticipated this move, the amount of aircraft turned the sky nearly black.

Even as the Tau aircraft moved to engage, hundreds of Lightning and Thunderbolts, the esteemed Raptor, Terrix, Kurt and Lokin squadrons leading the fight. Flights of Marauders and Furies still were mowed down in droves, whole squadrons dying, the blazes of there descents announcing there falls to the ground with the screeching of lost souls and the boom of detonated munitions.

Incendiary bombs and high-explosives detonated in their thousands up and down the Tau battle lines. The amount of ordinance creating a miniature earthquake along the ground. Plumes of dust and fire bloomed upwards, twisters of death that spiraled amongst the aliens. Furies flew over the lines, unleashing salvos of missiles onto the ground. Many still were shot down, but there were many more to take those lost places.

To the Tau's credit they reacted with surprising swiftness, their commander already ordering them into firing lines. As Shas'el Shovah looked upon his assembling warriors he felt a confidence that was out of place of the situation. They had panicked for a moment before training reasserted itself, and these soldiers were the best.

Shovah knew, he had supervised over much of their training. As he looked out upon the heat hazed plains he began to think just how foolish this attack was, there was know way they could break through his lines. But as if some sinister God was waiting for Shovah's very thoughts the first drop troopers started to land in the trenches, their grav-shuts deploying behind them.

* * *

Captain Ixis of the elite "Death Joker" Imperial Guard Storm Troop regiment fell onto the heads of the mixed Tau, Kroot, and Human rebel troopers with a grin on his craggy features.

Around him with the usual soundless precision, landed hundreds of drop troopers, there matt black armor and weapons reflecting the light of gunfire, many were hitting the ground dead, holes blown into torsos and heads. Blood misted the air, and the air crackled with the sound of battle and the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

He broke the skull and spine of a luckless human in the service of the Tau as he landed with a thump. He rolled, pressing the release mechanism of his shute, avoiding a number of clubs and blades being swung at him, and sprang to his feet. His melta-pistol hissed in his hands as it unleashed a torrent of superheated molecules which destroyed the rebels in front of him while he swung his own weapon, a buzzing micro edged saber, its quality only able to reproduced in the most advanced forges of Mars. Imbedded in its hilt was a mini-battery which caused its edges to move back and forth so fast it seemed just a faint vibration, betraying its ability to cut through armor and bone with ease.

He sliced through one mans head, his brains splattering his helmet and neck, while he finished through his stoke with a masterful cut that ended the use of the man attacking him lungs, kidneys and lower intestine. As the heretic fell at his feet in a gurgling scream, he continued his butchery watching as his men push through the trenches, searing beams of lasfire and the bursting of grenades foretelling their presence. But even though it seemed the elite troops were winning he saw Kroot pushing up towards his men, charging into the men with shrill cries.

They hacked with the blades on their weapons, dismembering men, turning them to bloody chunks. Many also held long swords or a multitude of vicious knives and hooks that tore the flesh as they struck with inhuman swiftness. They broke bones with swift punches and kicks before finishing them with quick shots with their rifles as they fell to the ground. As the counter charge of avian-like aliens commenced, the Tau answered the Imperial artillery barrage with thousands of smart missiles an tens of thousands of pulse rounds that scream into the air with a shocking ferocity. The air shook with the power of the weapons that were cutting through it, dwarfing the sound of even the battling forces of armor, aircraft and infantry.

The Kroot's countercharge had splintered the men's advance, they were losing their advantage fast, if the reinforcements didn't arrive soon, he was screwed.

He turned from his thoughts as a spherical object flew through the air and landed near his feet, rolling to a stop. He started to shout a warning, "PHOTO…" when a searing flash of light blinded his vision.

He dove away from the blidning light, searching for cover. Rounds whistled past his face, smacking into others behind him, followed by short screams of dying men. He stumbled blindly about, ducking through the swirling bodies. He tripped on something that felt suspiouscly like a severed head and fell to the blood soaked ground.

He scrambled about for something to arm himself with, the blinding galre of the Photon grenade still flashing before his eyes. Finding a cold hand which gripped a vox receiver he knew that he needed help. He raised it to his ear with a blood-stained hand, " Where is our damned support! Were being massacred out here!" The vox hissed, the line silent. Ixis turned towards the sky and implored the God-Emperor for help.

If there was any sign of a answer the blood red sky gave no hint of it.

* * *

General Nacin screamed his defiance to the air as his men rode over the hastily constructed Tau defenses, fire screaming from their weapons.

He looked around the Gorgon assault transport, fifty golden armored killers met his flinty gaze, none wanting the dishonor of not meeting there commander's eyes.

The Gorgon was a heavily armored and armed transport that was designed to breach fortifications and unleash their payload of men unto the enemy, with a full platoon of men in each the term payload was perfectly suited to its purpose. On their sides were mounted mortars which _whumped_ as they walloped out shells into the Tau forces. In front of bouncing mass transport drove the Thunderer siege tank _Hammerhead, _its single siege cannon and dozer blades ripping trough the landscape.

The Imperial charge was beginning to slow as they had to maneuver through treacherous terrain while taking the brunt of the Tau and their allies firepower. He saw tanks erupt into fireballs, their crews bailing out before being shot down , their bodies collapsing into bloody heaps. Hundreds of men and machines were dying around him, and if he didn't break through the aliens lines soon, he would be routed with only thousands of dead to show to his other commanders for his efforts.

He turned to his servant, his name not known to the General as his purpose was to serve, and studied the man.

While many of the hardened Honor Guard were getting at least slightly off balance in the rocking Gorgon, the servant looked for all the world like a man standing in a shallow pool for all the difficulty he was having. Nearly 6'3 and 270 pounds, hsis servant was built like a Orc and twice as vicious.

Nacin, over his long career, had employed dozens of such servants. But this one always made him impresed, whether with his ability to have never had said a word besides, here and sir.

Maybe it was the fact that he could take a rifle butt to the head and remain conscious.

There was several distuinguishing qualities about him, but best of all was his obedience. No servant had ever followed his orders without never asking a question. And in a time period of 44 years, that was impressive.

"Bring me my weapons!"

He nodded and walked towards a small storage compartment hooked onto the sides of machine, opening it and withdrawing its contents.

He strode back towards the general, "Here sir."

In his hands were his ornamented storm-bolter along with a staff which was covered in gold and metal, its head fashioned in the form of his home world of Laotia.

"Thank you, now ready yourself, soon we shall face the enemy."

The servant nodded, hefting his flamer and started to check its ignition systems along with fuel lines as the consequences for having a ruptured pipe would be very deadly indeed.

Nacin readied his own weapons, placing the clips into the storm bolter while pressing the button on the handle of his staff which sent a flicker of electricity down its length. Making the metal crackle with power.

In front of him the Thunderer fired its cannon destroying a part of the trenches and hurtling debris in the air before it was destroyed by some type of mine, its hull flying apart in the explosion. The other Gorgons, loaded with men from his Honor Guard and regular frontline regiments drove into the breaches made by the tanks and storm-troopers, lowering their ramps and letting a tide of men flow into the battle, their sponson mounted weapons firing all the while.

As the ramp lowered and the General charged out the hatch he rejoiced in the fact that he again was able to fight in glorious battle.

* * *

Nacin fired his bolter in short bursts of fire, its grip kicking in his hands, he saw Men, Kroot and Tau come apart under his fire. Brains, blood and bone flew through the air, while all those that came to close were shot down in bursts of lasfire by his guards, his servant walked forward, flamer cooking bodies and detonating munitions. His face masked by the heat issuing forth from his flamer.

Swarming around the advancing general was hundreds of men, along with tanks that drove around the forces, their guns and sponsons firing. Nacin strode through the carnage, his staff crackled as he struck a Kroot Carnivore in the head that tried to rip his throat out with its beak, its bones splintering and a discharge of energy frying its brain. The smell of charred flesh wafted up towards Nacin and he wrinkled his nose in mild disgust.

He stuck around him with his staff, his Honor Guard fighting around him, absorbing fire with their carapace armor. A vibration traveled through his body as a Hellhound Flame tank appeared over the lip of a copse of rocks, its Inferno Cannon swiveling. It unleashed a wave of liquid fire, its passage burning through the Tau troops, their screams resounding in his ears with satisfying loudness.

The heat of fire made hurt his face with its burning, making him squint around as its brightness hurt his eyes. He laughed as the cleansing flame did its job, "Forward men!"

He saw a Tau skimmer vehicle round around a large rock and knowing what came next ducked down under the body of a fallen Tau, yelling a warning.

The unleashed beam of energy struck the flame tank, powered through its medium armor and stroke its prothemium tanks.

The explosion sucked the oxygen from the air the heat was so intense, making lungs crisp. All things living, whether human or alien were instantly fried, burnt husks that were once bodies fell to the ground.

Nacin grimaced as the explosion filled his vision, he ducked down into cover, ramming home fresh clips into storm-bolter. He racked the slide with a satisfying clack before standing up again to observe how the battle was proceeding.

Vox chatter was in his ear, telling him that a massive Tau counter armor charge had splintered into the main force, he could see it by the firestorm raging just out of his line of sight just how large. He saw men dying by their dozens, their armor ripped apart by pulse rounds, body parts flung in the air by smart missile detonations and limbs detached from their places by Kroot blades or skulls smashed by their rifles and fists.

His advance was turning into a slaughter as men were chopped down by the aliens, the armor charge by the Tau was destroying his advance. He was filled with battle rage as he rose from cover his storm-bolter roaring in his hands like a wounded beast, his arc of fire pulped through Firewarriors, penetrating their armor with ease while it obliterated the Kroot and Human auxiliaries, as they wore little to no protection. He charged into the fray, his gun still firing into the mass, smashing around him with his staff, sending electrocuted bodies to the ground.

His men rallied around him firing concentrated waves of las, bolter, flamer and rocket fire into the melee. The men of Laotia charged the fray with blades and guns flashing, the Emperor's work _was_ going to completed.

* * *

Ixis ran through the war torn section of land that he was fighting on. Bodies and burnt out vehicles littered the ground, discarded equipment and gore on the ground in almost equal amounts.

The sky was still filled with dozens of aircraft, tracer fire leaping from their weapons. Wrecks crashed to the ground, most of them filled with their crew while others managed to eject from the cockpits, drifting the ground.

His weapons felt heavy in his hands, his blade covered in xeno and human blood while his Melta-pistol was burning hot from use. Behind him stood several squads of storm-troopers hell-guns and grenade launchers along with several more squads of regular guardsmen and even a few tank crewmen. Almost one third of his men were wounded, slowing him as he moved towards the huge battle on the horizon leaving a trail of blood and used bandages behind them. The few medics he had frantically trying to save the lives of their comrades.

The air was rife with the sounds of battle, gunfire, artillery and the screams of dying traveled across the wind. As he moved he would encounter groups of Tau, Kroot and Rebel Guardsmen, each one he and his men dispatched with ruthless efficiency.

As Ixis moved further along the fortifications he saw more and more signs of the Guard forces being butchered. Tanks cracked open, smoke pouring from the breeches in their hulls. A carpet of bodies so deep that it covered parts of the trenches where the fighting was thickest. All this was repeated over and over, and Ixis knew that the cost of this battle would be terrible.

His thoughts were interrupted as the man in front of him turned, "Sir, we have approached a bunker. Your orders?"

"Follow me."

He moved to the front of the line of men to get a better view of the bunker. From the back the large construction didn't seem as impressive compared to the front. From its front Ixis could see streams of fire emerging from the bunkers firing slits heading towards the massive clash of forces out on the ground in front of it. Hundreds of pieces of armor of all classes fought alongside thousands of infantry in a open area with no cover except that of wrecked vehicles and dead comrades.

The area was filled with shells and bursts of energy, filling the air with a cacophony of war. Ixis had seen nearly twenty three years of war in the Emperor's name but was still momentarily shocked at the scale of the engagement happening before him.

He turned to his equally awestruck men, "This way, quietly."

Knowing he had to snap them out of the sight fast, they crept towards the thick door of the bunker.

There were no guards so clearly they thought no enemies would be getting through their outer ring of defenses.

Too bad for them.

"Stack up."

Men formed on either side of the large blast door, readying their weapons. He aimed his Melta-pistol at the door and loosed a lance of thermal energy, melting thorough its hardened surface.

A storm trooper then swiveled into the doorway and loosed a salvo of grenades form his whirring Grenade launcher into the confines of the bunker. The sound of the detonations and smoke drifted out from the doorway, along with the screams of dying men and aliens.

"GO!"

His few dozen men he had under his command entered the doorway to the bunker. They reached the main chamber where the heavy fire directed towards the Imperial forces had been coming from, the grenades handiwork obviously shown.

There was a collection of shrapnel ridden bodies, blood spattered the walls and floor, both the dark red of humans and blue of the Tau Firewarriors. Weapons lay on the ground where dead hands had dropped them, and mounted in firing position was a multitude of Tau pulse weapons and human shell firing platforms.

"Secure the bunker."

His men branched off in different directions around the fortification, advancing cautiously. He started over to a munitions room, its confines filled with weaponry and ammo when he heard a stream of heavy lasfire overlapped with the sound of pulse rounds and bullets.

He immediately turned to the sound of the close combat, running towards one of the many passageways, his heart ringing in his ears.

* * *

He entered a room with firing slits cut into the walls, the inside echoing with the clamor of battle.

Human auxiliaries and Tau troops were engaged in close combat with the mix of storm troopers and Laotian Guardsmen. Bayonets and combat knifes bit into flesh while las and pulse rounds struck armor and bone.

He jumped into the fray with a , "For the Emperor!" on his lips, his sword already swinging.

Ixis chopped downwards with his blade, severing a spine and continuing the stroke into the hardness of Tau battle-plate before cutting through its abdomen, receiving a shriek of pain for his efforts. He raised himself just in time to avoid a officers sword which was held in the hands of a traitor guardsmen, it instead bit into his leg, his black carapace armor deflecting the blow. He lashed out with a kick that broke the mans nose before stepping forward and running him through with his blade, a torrent of sticky blood washing onto his hands.

He yanked out his sword with a grunt of effort and looked around the room, seeing the enemy defeated. Bodies littered the floor, mainly Tau and traitors but with Imperial's mixed in, mostly the Laotian's but a handful Storm Troopers also. Men walked about and put mercy shots in to the wounded that were writhing on the ground, before taking whatever ammunition they could find.

He told them to fortify the area before heading back towards the munitions room he previously was going to enter, walking back down the hallways.

As he reentered the main chamber he saw men wheeling heavy bolters, autoguns and even a few burst cannons towards the firing windows again, ready to direct the bunkers firepower towards the aliens out on the war torn landscape in front of them.

Ixis opened his vox channel, "Sergeants report. Is all the bunker secured?"

"Yes, sir" the reply of many different officers crackled down the net.

"Casualties? "

"Light casualties sir."

"Good. Any weapons we can use?"

"We have Hydra flack batteries on the top sir." That would be that rouge of a Sergeant Florin, the only hothead under his command.

"Hydras Florin?"

"Yes sir. This was obviously a Planetary Defense Force bunker before it was taken over. It is well armed and supplied."

"Good, get your men to use those batteries to shoot down the enemy air-craft."

"Sir I don't think we have time for the aircraft."

"And why is that?"

"I see a large force heading in our direction, it's definitely not ours."

"Damn."

Ixis glanced around the chamber, men already at the firing points, shooting towards the enemy below and then back at the munitions bunker.

"We got plenty of ammo and firepower, lets use it. Start getting those Hydras ready to fire Florin."

"Sir, why would we start shooting the aircraft, we have infantry problems."

"Who said we were gonna shoot the flying buggers?"

* * *

Nacin was perhaps the most tired and most cheerful in his entire life.

He had come to that conclusion as he fought for the ravaged ground that was now the center of his entire existence in these past few hours.

The ground was transformed from a hostile desert of hardy plants and animals to a terrain whose insides were bared to the sky as munitions impacted upon its skin.

His arm send blares of pain to his brain as he fired his Storm bolter, his muscles torn from the task of absorbing recoil. He mowed through waves of the enemy, all the men he could rally behind him, whether it be Honor guard, Guardsmen or Tank crewmen.

Armor on both sides rammed into each other in clashes of titanic steel while firing their large cannons and weapons. Everything else around him faded as the task of shooting, ducking and breathing took precedence before all other nerve impulses. There was no fear, there was no hesitation there was just simple animal instinct.

His cycle was interrupted as his weapon finally rattled out its last batch of shells and he lifted his staff with both hands, his arms aching form exhaustion.

He hacked through a tangle of barbed wire, its length coked with bodies of both sides. On the other side was a site which was perhaps the most unwelcome thing he has seen for awhile.

A column of xeno might was stretched before him and his men, the huge battle behind him momentarily forgotten.

_It seems that we didn't hit them quite hard enough after all_.

Nacin mused as he saw the Tau regrouping, massive Battlesuits strode forward towards battle. Weapons the size of small cannons were clasped onto their arms, ready for firing. Nacin sighed before turning backwards towards his motley collection of men, thoughts of victory gone from his mind.

"It seems that we need to stop here and prepare for death in the Emperor's name."

The men didn't even seemed shocked such was their fatigue, they just readied themselves.

_Good men_, _couldn't asked for a better bunch to die with._

As he turned backwards towards the approaching Tau he saw his loyal servant come apart under a burst of Tau fire, thinking only of his master even at the end, making sure his death got none of his blood upon Nacin.

Then as he steeled himself for his doom he heard a peculiar sound which he thought he would only hear a few times in his entire life. The sound of a Deathstrike Missile.

It hit the approaching Tau with a sound like reality being torn apart.

Deathstrike missiles are the only vortex technology which the Imperium was able to produce with any quantity, making them a key, if fragile part of major Guard offensive.

As they hit a miniature vortex opened itself upon reality. It sucked things into a void of darkness and those caught at the edge of its blast were cut neatly in half or flung away with horrible force.

The General laughed at this embodiment of the Emperor intervened in his fate.

He was still laughing as the first Medical Chimera carried him away.

* * *

Captain Ixis looked out upon the corpse heaped firing emplacements that had once been the strongpoint of his defense. As the Tau had advanced, overlapping there advance with perfect fields of fire Ixis had sprung his trap.

The Tau Shas'vre, armored in his mighty suit of techno sorcery, had obviously thought that the potent anti-aircraft batteries placed in the bunker wouldn't be used on his infantry. But thanks to the ingenuity of Ixis that option had been dispelled.

As the first of the enemy filtered into the field of fire of Ixis's troops he gave the order to open fire.

A collection of Heavy bolters, Stubbers and Lasguns along with the Hydra flak-batteries blossomed into life, shredding the Tau.

Ixis had laughed as the xenos had floundered beneath his fire, before that laughed died as soon as it appeared as the Tau Sahs'vre had rocketed up into his men along with several packs of Kroot, led by a fearsome Shaper wielding two wicked blades.

The Battlesuit landed its canons whirred into life spitting out hundreds of powerful rounds of energy, turning men to scraps of meat and bone. The Kroot lashed about them with blades of all sorts, all the while shrieking some fearsome battle cry.

He turned towards the men who were wheeling forward a Tau burstcannon which they had modified to allow them to fire, "Cover me".

He ran through the stacks of ammo and weaponry which his men had stacked up, heading towards the Tau commander.

As he ran he rallied other troops to him or killed Kroot which were dining upon his comrades flesh. He raised his Melta-pistol loosing a stream of energy form its muzzle before ducking beneath one of the gore stained blades of the Kroot Shaper.

It whirled and danced around him, avoiding his blade and using its own weapons to cut at his armor, leaving long raw marks on the Storm Trooper's flesh. He again lunged trying to catch it off balance before it struck again but it just deflected his clumsy strike and slashed him across the arm for his efforts.

The Kroot stepped forward ready to deliver his death blow but one of the Tank crewmen he rescued along the way fired at it with a worn Laspistol drawing the Shaper's attention from Ixis. He quickly scooped up the buzzing blade and while the Kroot hacked apart the crewmen and carved through its back with his weapon, feeling its blood spatter his face.

He began to work his way towards the Tau commander again before stopping short as he witnessed the carnage the war machine could create.

It weapons still shooting at a tremendous rate, it strode around the battle ripping through chests and punching off heads with a crackling fist that was attached to its arm. It would periodically sweep its other arm around in a wide arc, smashing through bodies with its mechanical strength. He sprinted towards the machine, narrowly avoiding energy rounds and Kroot blades before doing a siding dive and landing near one of its legs. As the mechanical tonnage began to raise its appendage to crush him he pressed his pistol against one of its joints and squeezed the trigger, letting the harsh whiteness fill his vision.

* * *

Shas'o O'Ro looked upon his assembled forces with pride.

As the Gue'la had driven into the Tau's defenses on the planet O'Ro had felt his rage build with each day. Only with his continued faith in the rightness of his cause, the Tau'va had kept him from unleashing his anger.

He knew that the time of retribution had come for him. The Ethereal Monat had just informed of that his fellow Shas'o were ready for the worldwide offensive that would begin.

Days of watching his forces be slaughtered were still fresh in his mind as his forces marshalled out of the gates of Tilbaut, heading for the great city of Khudan.

O'Ro made a impressive figure in Tau military, taller than most Tau, but still whipcord lean, he had acquired a reputation for tactical brilliance over his years of military service in the Fire Caste of Sa'cea, his heavily modified Commander Battlesuit painted with the fiery orange colors of his world.

His troops below him also bore those colors upon there armor, wearing them with pride throughout every war zone. O'Ro took one last look at his forces before signaling his bodyguards that it was time to leave.

The might of the Tau'va would always prevail over the Gue'la Corpse-Emperor.

* * *

Authors Note: YES THE TIME IS FINALLY HERE! All Tau fans rejoice as I will now be able to write from Tau point of view with the gracious and most satisying help from The Lone Hunter, Author of the Great Battlegrounds Series. Thanks man for all your help. Also plz review as they will help me make this story better for all to read if you find any errors! LMJ


	10. Battle of Lenk Pass

Authors Note: Sorry about delay and also thanks for all the reviews guys, really helping me along!__

The Mechanicus column loomed above everything around it, the tens of thousands of mechanical warriors marching in perfect formation.

Dwarfing all everything in the Imperial column were the huge Ordinatus machines, constantly swarming with Tech-Priests muttering prayers to the Omnissah. As the first of 3rd Liberation Army under Lord-General Macin, General Nacin's brother, had left its encampment at Khergit they had come under immediate attack. As if General Nacin's costly victory in the East had been a signal, the Tau forces had counterattacked all over the planet.

The 1rst and 2nd Armies had to give ground beneath the well coordinated attack, trying to stop the Tau wherever they could.

The only army having no trouble with O'Ro's attack had been the 3rd, its massive force of Adeptus Mechanicus breaking all attempts at stopping it. As the Tau and their allies would emerge from hidden positions, or ambush points they would unleash a deadly salvo of fire into the front of the Imperials meaning the Mechanicus.

Dozens of Tech-Guard were mowed down by the first volley of pulse fire. As the super heated particles struck augmented flesh, spurts of oil, lubricants and watery blood would erupt, swiftly followed by the sound of whining gears as the semi-mechanical soldiers retaliated.

In asnwer to the Tau ambushes, las, missile, plasma and cannon fire stormed trough the air, guided by advanced sensors and targeting sensors. Tau bodies exploded in clouds of gore or were turned into puddles of molten flesh by plasma and energized weaponry.

The ranks of the Tech-Guard, still being butchered by the Tau, formed ranks and marched in perfect formation through the fire.

They destroyed the Tau's hostile advances with overwhelming firepower that would have made any commander proud. Sa'cea Firewarriors ducked into cover before that cover and them was obliterated by the amount of fire coming from the Mechanicus troops.

Each attack was soon turned into a rout by the super efficient and limitless forces of the Machine-God. And as the Tau would retreat back towards whatever camps they had great cleanup machines would arrive onto the battlefield.

Scooping up the shattered and bullet ridden corpses of the Tech-Guard the machines would transport them back towards the giant Ordinatus machines, which housed reprocessing facilities to turn the dead flesh into nutrient paste and destroyed machinery into new weaponry.

Every advance the Tau made to try and push back the Imperial's was met with the same results, hundreds of Tech-Guard and Battle Servitors destroyed while the Tau had only lost a few dozen. Even with these rates of casualties it was obvious who would run out of troops first in the meat grinder of war.

* * *

Shas'el Yr'Nan looked upon his defeated forces, his face masked beneath is Crisis Suit.

They had just returned from yet another defeat from the _Aloh Gue'la, _as his men now called the foe. They had marched through his counter attack and ambushes with almost no effort, their massive guns laying low even the mountains that surrounded them.

For every ten that his soldiers killed, another twenty was there to take their place. Marching forth from their massive vehicles it was like a army of ants being awoken from their nest.

He bit his lip with the unusual amount of helplessness he felt. Nothing had ever laid him low in his time fighting for Tau'va, now he could barley keep his forces alive.

_I will stop them here, or die._

As he surveyed his regrouping forces he knew what he must do to buy enough time for his brethren in the next city to prepare themselves.

"Shas'vre what is our heavy armor assault capabilities?"

Yr'Nan's lieutenant swiveled his shaved head towards him before saying, " Besides our own Battlesuits Shas'el and the Krootoxes we have almost no assault armor because of the inability to transport some to us in time for the counterattack. Well… except for the _Gue'vesa's _vehicles."

The Shas'el chuckled at his lieutenants' obvious dislike of the primitive human vehicles. Sitting towards the sides of Yr'Nan's Cadre encampment was a armored company of _Gue'vesa _Leman Russ's.

Resting they look like huge steel beasts, ready to eat those around them with their stumpy cannons and weaponry. Even though they were slow Yr'Nan would have to use them with their full fire soaking capabilities to help make his plan work.

"I understand your dislike of the machines Shas'vre but we must use them to have any chancel of success."

"Yes Shas'el."

"Ready the troops, and arm yourself."

As his Shas'vre strode to reireive his Battlesuit Yr'Nan turned,"Also fetch Shas'ui Kunas'Ka and his Stealthsuits."

" Yes Shas'el, for the _Tau'va_."

"For the Tau'va."

As his lieutenant hurried away Yr'Nan looked upon his assembling forces again with his angry gaze.

_For the Tau'va let us hope this works._

He flexed his arms, feeling the servos whine in his suit with his movement.

* * *

Shas'ui Kunas'Ka lurked in the shadows of the huge crawler vehicles with his and another four squads of Stealthsuits, there complex stealth fields protecting them from Imperial sensors. Kunas'Ka looked upon his squad mates, seeing his visage reflected in their helmets.

In four of their hands was small Burstcannons while in the fifths, Shas'la Doran, was a Pulse cannon. The spherical weapon able to take down heavily armor opponents and light vehicles with ease. Firing large blasts of energy the weapon was the best infantry tranported anti-armor weapon the Tau had.

Since being developed on the world of Canticar, the weapon had spread widely throughout the Tau military. Its versatility was its greatest asset and Tau commanders employed it in every theatre of war . All the scout squads had been armed with them on the action to destroy the Ordinatus machine, for the firepower the weapons had were perfect to take down the Mechanicus forces.

Around the Shas'ui Gun and Shield Dones hummed while clustered with the Stealthsuits were the remaining Kroot and Vespid not being used in the distraction. He opened his comm link to his force under his command, "All Shas'ui, Shapers and Wing Leaders, be ready to breach, set Plasma Charges… now!"

The Tau carrying Kunas'Ka's charges, Shas'la Savon, clamped them onto the concealed access doors in the crawlers sides before backing away hastily, the blast radius of the charges were pretty large.

All the along the length of the machine the same sight was repeated as the Tau prepared to attack. Then as Kunas'Ka waited for the signal he began to get worried, his mind playing tricks on him.

_Maybe they were delayed… or captured. No! Don't think such thought, the Shas'el will show._

Time stretched on, each moment another chance for the Tau to be caught. Then just as Kunas'Ka was about to pull out he heard the sound of missiles and pulse rounds opening up behind him, along with the throaty rumble of the _Gue'vesa _armor.

"Blow Charges!"

The sound of hissing detonations echoed around the area, and then loud alarms as the vehicle recognized the intrusions upon it.

"Inside, go!"

Kunas'Ka and his squad ran into the murky depths of the Ordinatus machine.

* * *

Shas'el Yr'Nan felt truly alive as he descended upon the _Aloh Gue'la _forming into battle lines. Lasfire, the roaring of massive cannons, hisses of plasma and the detonations of missiles were all around him and his Shas'vre's as they fought.

The Missile pods on his shoulders spat out explosives while his heavy Burstcannons and Plasma cannons vomited volatile death into the advancing Imperials. Around him his lieutenats fired their own weapons, housed within their heavy Broadside and Crisis Suits, though none could really match the artistry of the Shas'el's heavily modified suit.

Broadside Rail Cannons roared into life as they punched through ranks of Tech-Guard a dozen deep, melting through their metal enhanced bodies. Flamers and short range Pulse weaponry thudded powerfully into the first ranks of Tech-Guard slaughtering them wholesale. Behind the striding Battlesuits were hundreds of Kroot Packs and Krootox's, Firewarrior and Pathfinder Squads and Wings of Vespid.

They emptied their weapons into the mechanical warriors, ripping through the air with their fire as though wounding it. And then the armor of Humans rammed into the battle.

Leman Russ's and Destroyer's led the way, there stubby cannons shooting along with Heavy bolters, Lascannons, and Flamer mounts attached to their hulls. The charge carried Yr'Nan and his men into the heart of the Mechanicus formation.

Yet it was at the height the Tau's charge that the tide turned.

Suddenly hundreds of heavy Battle Servitors, drove into view. Their skulls were covered in heavy targeting arrays, while they hefted saws, drills and massive hammers on their limbs. Rotating on their other arms were large rotating cannons or blazing laser weapons, but no matter what the armament, all were firing at the Tau.

The Shas'el and his his forces were steadily being slaughtered by the sheer numbers and firepower the Imperium had brought to bear. Yr'Nan looked up in worried anticipation at the nearest Mechanicus machine, hoping that Kunas'Ka was doing his job. Then all thoughts were washed away ina tide of violence as he and his bodyguards hit the first wave of servitors.

The first one he came to was hefting a whirring drill that was attached to its arm while firing hundreds of shots from its cannon every few seconds. He allowed his frontal armor, which was his thickest, to absorb the impacts before darting forward and pulverizing its head with a quick burst of pulse fire. He turned sharply, his movements seemingly impossible so in his mechanized suit of armor. He brought up his flamer and roasted another of the robots, feeling his armor come away in parts from its saw which it had struck into his plates.

He darted to one side as one of his bodyguards planted its feet and fired off a stream of energy from its Rail cannons. The servitors stuck by the Broadsides beams were destroyed in explosions of energy, and those caught on the edges by its weapons lost chunks of their body.

He fell back towards the safety of friendly covering fire as thousands more of the tech augmented soldiers poured forth towards his men, a curtain of fire slamming into his forces. Through hsi visor Yr'Nan watched as the _Gue'vesa_ armor was advancing through the Mecahnicus lines, firing their cannons and side mounted turrets, blasting apart Tech-Guard and Battle Servitors.

"Follow me Shas'vre! We must buy enough time for Kunas'Ka!"

If his lieutenant replied it was drowned out by the sounds of battle. Yr'Nan advanced once more into the fray his weapons firing, lashing out at the Imperials.

* * *

Kunas'Ka strode forward through the confines of the Ordinatus machine, his Burstcannon rattling. Beside him his squad members and Gun drones were firing also as they advanced behind the Kroot and Vespid.

For the past few minutes Kunas'Ka's had advanced, destroying turret emplacements which seemed to cover just about every area of the massive vehicle, all the while fighting Servitors, Mechanicus Adepts wielding pistols, and even Tech-Priests. Leading the combined forces of Kroot and Vespid was Shaper Yurt, his twin billhooks flashing in the light as they decapitated and tore through mechanical warriors.

"Hurry this way! We must stop this machine.!"

The Tau hurried forward, firing all the while at the many defense turrets. Up ahead was some sort of centre for the vehicle, no doubt the control room. It was ringed with machines, servitors connected into them. Around the are seemed to be where the resistance was thickest and all Tau forces were headed towards it, knowing it was their objective.

Kunas'Ka ducked down behind a fallen pipe, his squad following him. Bolter rounds from the turrets around them striking the metal, creating sparks and dents into the heavy fixture.

"Shas'la Doran!"

"Yes Shas'ui?"

"Use that Pulse cannon you have and silence the turrets! Use the Sniper Drone to help you!"

"Yes Shas'ui!" Doran placed the barrel of her Pulse cannon over the lip of the pipe, taking aim. By her side a drone with a Rail rifle slung under its body aimed as well. Then there was a dual report as both weapons fired and series of small explsions and crashes.

The fire coming against the Stealthsuits cover stopped.

"Good shot! Now go!" The Tau ran back out into the fight.

* * *

Shaper Yurt was enjoying himself with this fight. Around him packs of Kroot fought and died against the Battle Servitors and defense turrets. His twin billhooks flashed in front of him and ripped out the throat of a servitor, sending pale blood and oily fluids over his hands.

He did a quick summersault through the air, avoiding a group of bullets which tore apart another one of his pack members. He drove the point of one of his billhooks into the servitors head, grunting as it powered through bone, flesh and metal.

He spun on his heel and delivered a thunderous kick to the servitors chest, freeing it from his weapon. A group of Vespids landed before him,, their talons flashing and loped apart a Tech-Priest along with several servitors. Solid rounds fired from the Kroot rifles busted heads and put holes in bodies.

The control center loomed in front of the Shaper, the metallic sides of it reflecting the light of gunfire. Dozens were dying, their last moments reflected in its depths. Yurt ran thorugh the fires of the battle, forming his men into counter charges and firing lines. He led groups of warriors thorugh the raging combat, slashing thorugh his enemies with quick slashes. Blood spattered his face and those around him.

Striding towards the battle was a group of Tech-Priests with what looked like a high ranking member of the Mechanicus in its middle. They formed a wedge intot he heart of his forces, hacking them apart.

He turned towards the Kroot and Vespid nearest to him, their weapons firing into the mass of enemies. Yurt was suddenly mesmerized by flash of their guns and the fine drizzle of blood misting the air. He shook his head and retured back to the present.

"Keep me covered, it is time to end this fight,"

The assortment of warriors nodded their assent and turned their weapons towards the enemies in front of the Shaper. Firing with renewed effort, taking that as his que the Kroot officer ran forward.

Yurt sprinted, dodging under bullets and blades, hopping over the heads of both sides. As he neared the group of Tech-Priests he saw that the senior member of the Mechanicus in the middle was nearly as tall as Yurt himself, who like all Kroot were quite tall. Not only that he was a lot bulkier too, and carried two large cannons on its arms.

Yurt bared his bloodstained teeth. Finally, a real challenge. The sonic blasts of Vespid guns, the whine of pulse rounds and the shriek of Kroot bullets passed by Yurt as he pressed onwards.

For even with the heroic actions of many the fires of war never stopped.

* * *

Magos Jadinar strode through the illogicalness that battle brought. His many implants which replaced his ears, eyes, throat, brain and most of his primary organs fed him a constant amount of data which helped him understand his environment.

Eight Tech-Priests stood around him, carrying Power halberds, and a variety of guns. As he advanced he catalogued and observed the hundreds of xenos that compromised this hostile attack on the Ordinatus machine. Calculating the data he was receiving from outside and from in the confines of the machine, the Magos came to the conclusion that this attack was not meant to succeed just damage the machine in some way.

He then solved another formula which showed his success rate of stopping such a endeavor.

_89.04%_

The number appeared before his logistics implants, he had a good chance to stop the creatures. He powered up his Deflector shield, a bubble of energy surrounding him, while also powering up his weapon systems.

In the revered language of the Omnnisah, binary code, he told the Tech-Priests around him to ready themselves for combat.

He then reviewed the battlefield, seeing a single Kroot organism running towards him at a high velocity, obviously with hostile intentions.

He raised his dual Molecular Cannons and locked on to the incoming mass of enemy troops. The Molecular cannon was a unique weapon which Jadinar had developed himself, jsut for a combat like this.

He had used captured Tau pulse technology and combining that with the solid ballistic munitions of the Imperium, created a great weapon. In each of the cannons four barrels there were thousands of small caliber bullets, each one a little smaller than the size of a thumb. These bullets when fired would be super charged with high amounts of energy, making the specially modified bullet casings heat up on a atomic scale, they could melt through Power Armor with ease.

The cannon fired at a rate of five hundred bullets a second and were perhaps one of the deadliest infantry weapons ever created in the universe.

The only problem was the amount of highly advanced materials needed in its construction, but he was confident he could work that part out.

With the screaming of a daemon the weapon opened fire. Thousands of bullets screamed through the air, cutting apart both servitor and xeno. As the Jadinar strode forwards any that escaped his fire were hacked apart by the Tech-priests halberds, the steaming chunks of bodies flopped to the ground.

* * *

Yurt was now very angry as he ducked beneath the bullets of the Magos, the heat of them burning his back.

Already his entire force had been forced to retreat, most of them dead. He hacked his way through the Mechanicus lord, his blood singing in his veins.

He parried with his billhooks the first halberd of one of the Tech-Priests, gasping as the power of the blow traveled through his body. He ducked beneath the next swing and brought up his weapons in a arc which buried themselves in the flesh of Priest before ripping them out in a brutal move which sent his opponents broken body on the floor.

The Kroot lashed out with a fist that sent the next one flying back before dodging back from another blade, the disruptor field crisping his skin. He dashed forward and ripped its face off with his sharp teeth, tasting its foul blood in his mouth, before slashing open its chest with the cruel edges of his hooks.

He turned to the Magos itself, his target. The machine-thing was still advancing, firing its weapons into his troops. Killing them without thought or emotion.

He leapt forward, swinging his weapons to kill the unnatural being, but found his blades stopped by a barrier of energy. His weapons broke on contact with the force field, flying out of his hands in pieces which cut his skin, drawing blood.

He was dumbstruck at the event, his face a comical expression at the circumstances.

Then his face disappeared in a flash of light.

As the headless body collapsed to the ground, the Lord Magos turned back to his gruesome work.

* * *

Magos Jadinar laughed as he resumed his killing, a ugly rasping sound through his vox impalnts.

The Kroot thought it had come so close to killing him when it was killed by one of the myriad amount of tiny lasers which covered his metal shell of a body. The defense weapons were highly focused beams of energy which could punch through anything short of Terminator armor because of the short range. Jadinar knew it was a wise decision ot get them installed, even if it had cost him several ships that he had docked at Mars.

Jadinar completed his thought processes by surveying the room, the fighting over. Blood pooled around his ankles, carrying along small parts of viscera which created a real charnel house smell, though none of its occupants noticed it at all.

He ordered the Tech-Priests around him to begin repairing the damage done to his Ordinatus machine and clean up the mess. As they went to begin their tasks Jadinar allowed himself a brief moment of triumph, a small human emotion, to enter his being before shutting it out and striding to control room.

Work still needed to be done.

* * *

Yr'Nans forces died as the Shas'el watched, his hopes of completing his mission evaporating. He had heard the report of Kuna'Ka's defeat, knowing that now all that remained was to fight and die.

The Ordinatus machines fired soon after. The massive Sonic cannon technology they carried carved through the valley tops, sending thousands of tons of natural debris on top of the Tau forces.

Hundreds of Tau and their allies were crushed by the wreckage, smashed to paste beneath the weight of ancient trees which had been there almost as long as life itself and groups of boulders. Yr'Nan watched through his optics as his Shas'vre was crushed, the Broadside suit he was in buried beneath thousands of pounds of hard packed earth.

He ejected out of his own suit, watching from the air as it was buried, nature reclaiming what was its due.

He unclipped the restraints from his ejection seat, before taking up his Chainsword, the sharp teeth of the sword already buzzing. He looked around him, his body feeling somehow naked without his suit as he felt hot air swirl around him, bringing him the stench of death. Limbs or partially buried bodies of both sides surrounded him, almost like a paritally ocmpleted graveyard.

He saw a group of Tech-Guard advancing towards him and felt a calmness settle over him as he accepted his fate.

He charged towards them, sword raised above him. One of the leading soldiers raised its Grenade Launcher and let loose several grenades. He rolled forward hearing the small explosives fly over his head and explode behind him.

Yr'Nan jumped to his feet and let his sword chew through the Grenade Launcher toting human. He let his power carry him through and cut off the arm of the next one before following up and decapitating it. He dodged back from a beam of lasfire before eviscerating the shooter. He hacked aorund him, letting his rage fuel his power.

Then a drill punched through the Tau commanders back, ending his fight for The Greater Good. The heavy Praetorian servitor shook off the frail body of the xeno, looking for a new target.

* * *

Shas'ui Kunas'Ka stumbled back away from the slaughter of Shas'el Yr'Nan's cadre, his wounds burning with agony. On his back he carried Shas'ls Savon, his leg a crisped mess while pieces of shrapnel riddled his body. Beside his stumbling gait walked Shas'la Doran her broken arm clutched to her chest, blood weeping from several wounds. As they had escaped from the battle in the Ordinatus machine he had lost his other squad mates, their deaths burned into his mind. Even though he knew that he would have been supposed to rejoin the fight he had headed off towards the Tau held city of Swadia, knowing he had to warn them. No matter what the dishonour it needed to be done. As the remains of Yr'Nan's cadre stumbled along towards the city of Swadia, they swore that the massacre would be remembered.

* * *

The estimated casualties for the Battle of The Pass, as it would come to be known, was unbelievably high.

Nearly six thousand combined Tau, Kroot, Vespid and their human allies had been killed. While a total of about eleven thousand Mechanicus troops had been destroyed, as the term suited it better than killed for the cyborg like troops.

But unlike the Tau, after the wreckage of battle had been cleared another fifteen thousand Tech-Guard and hundreds of other armor vehicles marshaled out in front of the Imperial formation, ready for battle.

The way to the prize was open and the Mechanicus never lost its prize.

* * *

Farseer Ashafares looked upon the might of the Alaitoc, the graceful warriors moved silently thorugh the heavy brush of the valleys of North Yanir. The passage of the Eldar force was silent, barely a rustle of leaves or grass when they moved by.

Ashafares had seen in her visions what the _Mon-Keigh _would do once they stumbled upon the Undying Ones. _They must be stopped no matter what the cost._

The power of her emotions transmitted to the physically sensitive Eldar around her, making them feel the heat of her conviction. Many different aspects were represented in the Alaitoc forces, but the bulk of the army was made of Guardians and their vehicles along with the legendary Alaitoc Rangers. Those same rangers flitted about the edges of her forces, scouting ahead.

She stood perched on the lip of a Falcon Grav Tank, feeling the smoothness of its hull beneath her feet. Crouched at the bottom of the vehicle was the Exarch of the Dire Avengers aspect. The warrior in his blue and yellow armor radiated a sense of barely contained physical power, the disticntess of it echoing in her mind. Every moment the coruching figure seemed ready to explode into action, his weapons always near his hands.

"Rise Exarch and tell me your news."

"Farseer it has been confimed by our Rangers that we are closing onto the location of the Undying Ones."

"Good. Tell them to further reconnoiter the area."

"Yes Farseer."

"One more thing Exarch."

"Yes?"

"If the things I have seen do come to pass I charge you with the task of destroying the _Mon-Keigh_, to make sure they never repeat such a mistake again."

"Yes Farseer, as you command."

Even though his face was hidden behind his helmet Ashafares knew the warrior was smiling.

* * *

Authors Note: Woot!!!! Eldar!!!!

* * *

North Yanir On Road to Hive city of Swadia 03:00


	11. Siege of Swadia

Authors Note: Well expect the battle for the city of Swadia to last another chapter or two. Keep up the reviews.

* * *

Brilliant.

That was the only word that could describe the completeness, the sheer perfection of the Mechanicus siege of the hive city of Swadia. Colonel Bradington thought this as he observed the array of trenches and temporary fortresses which surrounded the city.

His regiments tents were set up below the hill he was standing on, the men preparing weapons, armor and ammunition. Running through prebattle checks or praying to the Emperor.

Just the process of surrounding a hive city completely was no easy feat. It had taken days of heavy fighting through the Tau defenses to finally prepare the siege of the massive city. The battle through the heavy brush of the outlying land had been vicious, corpses piled so thoroughly that you could walk without touching the ground.

Many of the Imperial tacticians had been worried that the army would grind ot a stop in this inhospitable battleground. But they hadn't counted on the Mechanicus.

The magos in charge of the Mechancius forces, Magos Sedisvar, had sent nearly another five-thousand warriors to their deaths to break through the Tau lines. The reprocessing centers in the Ordinatus machines had been busy.

The Mechanicus hadn't even blinked at this extravagant waste of manpower, just deployed more troops. Thousands of Tech-Guard and heavy combat servitors of all designs had been marching forth from the Ordinatus crawlers every day. The guns of Mars had rumbled and spoke constantly, laying low hillsides or series of hastily constructed Tau bunkers.

The sheer amount of noise had caused several incidents of eardrum bursting or rupture due to the awful amount of noise produced by the mighty guns mounted on the crawlers.

The land bled from its wounds.

Releasing its lifeblood into the air in a overhanging smog of war. Dust and grit left over from such destruction still drifted through the air heavily blinding men. The oppressive airborne debris wormed its way into everything imaginable.

The many men of the Imperial Guard were always coughing and hacking, trying to clear the dust from their throats. Rebreathers soon became necessary to continue the move to the city, those that didn't comply were soon in the infirmaries. Machines needed constant maintenance to keep the dirt from inner workings and joints, lest they be rendered useless within a few days.

Even with all these set backs, as if the planet was conspiring against the God-Emperor's servants, the combined Guard and Mechanicus forces had rolled onwards.

As the Imperial forces had set up around the Tau held hive city, super heavy artillery pieces had been wheeled into firing pits, ready to unleash death upon the enemy. Hundreds of other batteries were placed into the massive network of overlapping trenches and were also lifted into the huge earthen and metal fortresses which were constructed by Guard engineers. Nearly endless convoys of transport trucks rumbled into the ever expanding siege works, carrying both Guardsmen and supplies.

The time for war was at hand.

The Guard, Space Marine, Battle-Sisters and Adeptus Mechancius forces had readied their forces to storm the gates, and the cruel gods of the universe waited to see the carnage that ensured.

* * *

Before the great southeastern gate of Swadia city the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial Guard assembled. The artillery emplaced in the trenches thumped and rumbled, sending hundreds of shells and rockets into the confines of the city.

Some struck the mighty walls themselves, marking the thick fortifications with scorch marks. The Tau pulse defense turrets and captured Planetary Defense Force wall guns answered the barrage of ordinance with one of their own.

A false dawn was created as shells and tracers lit the sky. Planes rumbled thorugh the air, unleashing their payloads on the city below.

The duel of long range guns steadily escalating was soon to be dwarfed to what would come next. Of the three Ordinatus crawlers the different magos had occupied for their command vehicles only those of Magos Jadinar and Coras had advanced into combat. The third and largest crawler, that of Magos Sedisvar, rumbled forward from the back of the Imperial battle lines.

The massive Nova Cannon mounted on the dull steel chassis of the machine was lowered towards the gates of the hive city.

Deep within the armored heart of the machine gears and servos whined and shifted, along with the noiseless working of hundreds of heavy lifting servitors. The first shell to be fired by the Nova Cannon was hefted into the gaping breach of cannon, its size easily bigger than a Baneblade Super-Heavy Tank.

As the Tau commanders on and around the walls realized the danger they were in desperate evacuation attempts began all along the massive fortifications. Hundreds of troops were rushing off, tripping and falling over eachother.

And that is all they would ever be, attempts.

The Nova Cannon fired with a report that shattered windows and even rocked tanks with the airwaves coming from the steaming muzzle. The shell, aimed by the Magos Sedisvar himself, hit right at the center where the two separate gate doors came together.

The gates and much of the wall around them blew apart in a spectacular explosion of light and sound, sending chunks of super hardened ceramite and rock tumbling to the ground. Many of those rocks crushed Tau troops and vehicles underneath them. The huge explosion vented backwards from the gates and destroyed several large buildings and extra Tau fortifications, killing hundreds more of the Tau defenders.

A breach had been created in the massive walls, and the Imperial commanders were going to use it. The Imperial forces charged towards the massive breach the gun had made, their weapons already firing.

Beneath the dust tinted sky of the planet Yanir all hell broke loose.

* * *

Shas'vre Elan fired his pulse rifle at the advancing humans, each shot finding its way into flesh and bone.

When the gates had been destroyed the Shas'vre had been one of the few surviving officers left, leaving him with hundreds of disoriented soldiers. As the first waves of _Gue'la _had charged into the rubble and body strewn courtyard Elan had set up what men he could into positions to fire upon the enemy.

"Fire! Hold them back! Do not fail your brothers! For the Tau'va!"

Blistering salvos of pulse, las and hard rounds blazed thought the air, weaving a tapestry of death. Missiles spiraled thorugh the air before finding their way into buildings and barricades. Bursts of plasma and gushes of fire scoured the gorund of the courtyard.

Elan ducked behind a piece of the what had once been the gatehouse and exchanged clips, slamming a new one home. To either side of the Shas'vre were dozens of Tau and _Gue'vesa _firing their respective weapons towards the Imperium's forces. The crackling of small arms fire and chattering of support weaposn sounded all around the Tau commander.

"Shas'vre, I see armor moving up towards our positions, we must fall back!"

He turned towards a crouching Shas'la, rifle clutched in soot stained fingers, "Armor? I have not seen these particular Gue'la use armor much Shas'la."

"Well they have it now Shas'vre and its coming fast!"

Elan poked his head over the lip of the rock, wincing as a flight of grenades flew past his helmet and exploded behind him, causing several new cries of pain to rise into the din of battle. There was indeed dozens of armored vehicles rumbling forward into the smoke filled courtyard, their shapes even more bulky then regular _Gue'la _tanks.

As the tanks finally emerged into the fire fueled light Elan was surprised at the appearance of the strange machines. Each machine was slightly bigger than a Leman Russ Demolisher and mounted on their grey-steeled hulls were dual Battle Cannons which could swing from side to side or aim up and down. But that wasn't the only armaments that these siege tanks had.

Mounted on the top of the chassis, above the duel Battle Cannons was a stubby siege cannon of some sort and mounted on the sponsons and co-axial turrets were a mix of Heavy-Bolters and rapid cycling Missile-Pods of some sort. The advancing Tech-Guard and Battle Servitors broke rank with perfect precision to allow the rumbling machines to clear the path for them.

One of the leading machines fired its siege cannon with a loud report and a moment later one of his Firewarrior's positions disappeared in a spiral of fire. Pieces of Tau and armor rained down upon his position in a fine drizzle.

"Get some Pulse Cannons or some of the Gue'vesa Rocket Tubes up here!"

The Shas'la had been about to reply when jagged burst of plasma destroyed the upper part of his torso in a searing flash of light. Elan cursed and rose out of cover firing his pulse rifle again towards the enemy with expertly placed shots, aiming though the optics of his helmet. His men were dying even faster now with the Battle Tanks now in the picture.

It was bad.

He spied a group of _Gue'vesa _with demo-charges, a plan forming in his head. He turned to the Tau around him, all firing towards the _Gue'la_. One of them had a Rail Rifle, each shot destroying another enemies head or making a hole in their chest the size of a fist.

"Give me covering fire! I don't want a shot coming my way!"

"Yes Shas'vre!"

Elan started to run through the enemy fire towards the _Gue'vesa's _position. His own soldiers answered the fire with a wave of pulse shots, the weapons sounding oddly distorted due to the enclosed space of the courtyard. After ducking and weaving for several minutes in between chunks of rubble he arrived at his destination.

Most of the human auxiliaries were armed with captured Lasguns or Autorifles and firing in bursts towards the enemy. One of them had a sack of Tube Charges and was hurling them towards the enemy with explosive results. The leader of the men, Autorifle in his hands, turned towards Elan.

" How can we help you Shas'vre?"

Elan, like many Tau officers, had learned how to speak the _Gue'la _language, to better help the cooperation between the humans and Tau. That training was proving its usefulness now.

"I need your man over there with the explosives to take out those tanks!"

He pointed towards the rumbling vehicles, smashing over debris and corpses with ease. Every few secons another of the tanks cannons fired, sending shells into the dug in Tau forces.

The man had been about to reply when the Battle Servitor appeared.

Its arm shot out towards the nearest Gue'vesa, its hand formed into a wedge. The metal limb punched through the fleeing mans chest, erupting in a burst of gore. It shook the corpse of its limb and was turning towards Elan when the Shas'vre plunged his bonding knife into the machines eye socket.

Elan grunted as he had to force the knife through the things metal encased skull, even as it raised its hand for another strike. As it swung its arm, the Tau ducked, wincing as it snapped a human's neck behind him.

The leader of the Gue'vesa hurried up and shoved his Autorifle into the servitors stomach, emptying his clip into it. The machine came apart under the hail of bullets in a shower of oil, blood and sparks.

Wiping the fluids from his helmet Elan inclined his head towards the man in thanks before hefting his rifle. Looking at the courtyard, its walkways swarming with figures and armor Elan knew that he could not hold for much longer.

Behind him more of his warriors positions disappeared in explosions as they were hit by shells from cannons. He opened the comm link to his embattled forces, " This is it soldiers of the Tau Empire. Give it everything you got!"

In response to his orders the fire coming from his positions increased, even as more troops poured through the breached gates.

This was it, it was now or never.

* * *

Captain Bayern felt sick as he rocked back and forth in the back of Half-track. The light field gun mounted on back boomed as it fired shells into the habs around the charging Laotian men. Blowing apart the buildings, and showering the men with stone and body parts.

Bayern had laughed as the Mechanicus had blown open the walls of the hive city, weeks of hard fought battles finally paying off. That laughter had stopped just as abruptly as it had started as he had been ordered to advance into the breach.

Now Bayern, along with the entire Laotian 14th Regiment, fought their way into the hellish maze of the Merchant District. Every street corner of the wealthy area was heavily defended by the Tau. Whether it be entrenched Firewarriros, Kroot and Vespid waiting to ambush or even rebel Humans, fighting in a almost fanatical way.

House to house fighting was the way of the day, the Laotian Regiments having to clear every block the hard way. Fire came at the advancing Guardsmen in a deadly hail, making every man have to move at a slow, hunched over crawl most of the way.

There was accounts on the vox links of Tau Battlesuits entering the fight, even some sort of massive beast that destroyed everything it encountered. Captain Bayern listened to the vox and sighed, wishing he was in that fight.

Around him were the armored companies and support vehicles of the advancing Imperials, Half-tracks, Sentinels, Chimeras, Leman Russ's and much more. All of them were moving forwards in a wave of steel, firing cannons and sponsons, blowing apart buildings and Tau barricades with ease. Bayern himself was in a Half-track, his adjutant Nuls was with him.

Nuls a slightly short man, but compact with muscle due to years of fighting carried his customary Assault Shotgun in his rough hands. Ammo webbing was strung across his waist and chest his gold plate armor visible from underneath the equipment. Nuls also carried a long range vox caster on his back to allow the Captain to talk with almost everyone in the city.

Nuls had been with Bayern for nearly eleven years, nearly half of Bayern's allotted time in the Guard. They were close, close as only men who had fought and cheated death together could be.

"Well Nuls, a nice day for a war huh?"

Nuls turned his head to regard him, "Sir, If I wasn't about to puke out my guts due to this dammed vehicles rocking I might agree."

They both laughed at the joke, the sound out of place in the ruined, fire filled homes of the wealthy and powerful. Above in sky, the color of it brown and black tinged with smoke and dust, flights of Marauders and Lightning's flew. Every few minutes the rumble of dropped bombs or missiles impacting on their targets was heard in the distance. Many of the planes tumbled out of the sky as anti-aircraft fire hit them.

There was still no sign of the Tau air forces, making all the commanders of Laotian regiments worried, but it wasn't there biggest problem right now. Another building was destroyed as a round from a Conqueror pattern Leman Russ hit it dead on. Bayern was getting pretty comfortable with this pattern of meeting building, meet enemy and blowing it up when the first tank exploded.

One of the leading Conqueror tanks, _Ork Bane, _blew up spectacularly as it was ht by some sort of energy weapon. The next vehicle in line, a recon Sentinel commanded by Sergeant Honen, was the next to be destroyed by a beam of energy.

He heard on the vox net cries of alarm as the tank commanders tried to pinpoint the source of the shooting, when another Conqueror, _Metal Head, _was blown apart.

"Scramble men! Get into cover! Find a position and hold it!"

Bayern yelled into the vox, as the tanks were being destroyed. He turned to Nuls, "Ready for some action?"

"Was born ready sir." Bayern grinned, eyeing the enemy fire ahead of them.

"Your talking out your ass Nuls."

"No sir, I am just that good."

Both men chuckled again, the tension fizzing out of them. Then the first of pulse rounds started to whip past and both men ducked.

Bayern hurried up to the driver, Pharon Kim, his head lowered to avoid enemy fire.

"Pharon!"

The man, a expression of happiness on his face that completely was at odds with the situation. As he drove he turned towards the captain, steering the vehicle all the while.

" Yes sir?"

"Tell your gunners to target that trading hall to the side of us!"

"Can do sir."

Pharon turned towards the sweaty men in the back of the Half-track and gave them the orders. Bayern keen eyes had spotted the pockmarked and worn down trading hall the enemy was using. Beams of heavy fire were still coming from boarded up and sandbagged windows, hitting tanks and men.

The first shells from the light artillery piece mounted on the Half-tracks rear started to whine into the buildings throwing out plumes of dust, polished wood and fire. All the while the combined might of the 2nd company under Captain Bayern, 8th company under Captain Wollinski and 6th company under Captain Zeydus plowed forwards.

Burned out tanks and transports littered the roadway, creating a scrap yard of Imperial armor. Dozens of bodies, both Laotian and Tau, were scattered about through the area. This scene was one of the less extreme which was being repeated all along the breach the Imperial Guard were trying to secure and hold.

His thoughts were stopped as the vehicle suddenly rocked even more violently then usual, causing Nuls to finally lose the battle against his stomach and retch.

Bayern stumbled over to the side of the vehicle and looked over as men scrambled about on the deck of the machine. Lodged in the side of vehicle was a large piece of metal, no doubt once part of the many buildings that had been leveled. Oil was leaking form the gaping hole in its side and Bayern started to get Nuls, for just one spark would blow the whole machine apart.

"Nuls lets go!"

"Finally sir!"

As they headed towards the side more pulse fire smacked into the Half-track. Crew members were running in all directions, trying ot get off the doomed vehicle. All except Pharon, a expression of anger on his face as he fired his laspistol towards the enemy that dared hurt his vehicle.

They were sprinting towards the side, breath coming in gasps, and jumped. Behind them one of the many pulse rounds hit the spreading stain of oil on the ground. The explosion knocked the fleeing Guardsmen onto the ground, and flung pieces of shrapnel in all directions.

Some of that shrapnel was human bone.

Bayern hit the ground and blacked out for a few seconds. He woke up with a gasp and coughed up some blood that had been collecting in his mouth before dragging his still senseless adjutant to cover. Pieces of metal as lodged into his back and legs, his adjutant's too.

He yanked off the beaten up vox caster from Nuls back and patched himself too the other Captains. A plan was forming in his mind, hopefully it could turn the tide of this battle.

"Bayern here I got a plan."

"Good to hear your still alive Bayern." That was Captain Zeydus, his dry humor easily recognizable.

"Welcome back captain." That would be Wollinski, his brisk manner a trademark of his.

" Good to be back gentleman, I need to move your men and all our armor strengths up to engage the enemy." Bayern said into the vox.

"I'm all for glory but what will you be doing Bayern?" Zeydus asked him over the vox.

"I will split my company and conduct a pincer movement on their dug in positions by moving through the back streets."

"Good plan captain, I'll go with it." Wollinski quipped into the conversation, his vox signal overlaid with small arms fire.

"I'm in too. If there is something Zeydus Mu's company can do, its kill some xenos."

"I'm glad to hear it, the Emperor protects." Bayern signed off the link and opened it to his companies channel.

"Lieutenant Argos?"

"Yes sir?"

"Were going to conduct a pincer movement on the enemy. They have the main streets and a lot of the buildings locked up tight. We are going to negate that advantage. Take Gorh, Inoq, Karsky and Uwel's platoons and head left through that big alleyway. I'll take Jonson, Nev, Lec and Crowes platoons to the right."

"Yes sir."

"Good man, race you to the top."

"Your on, sir."

Bayern signed off and looked around him. Dozens of men were moving forward around him along with the armor support. Nuls was waking up besides him, muttering curses and rubbing his head.

Bayern Hyagu unsheathed his _uniyyal _blade and freed his laspistol from its holster. He turned and slapped Nuls on the arm.

"Time for war, grab your gun." He and the dazed Nuls headed towards the side street where his sergeants were waiting.

* * *

The massive incursion by the Imperial Guard and the Mechanicus was perhaps the worst disaster the city had ever faced. There had been plenty of destructive events in the hive city's history, Rad Storms, bulding collapses, even Power Reactors going critical. But none could compare to the damage the Imperial invasion would create.

The streets were lit with thousands of tracer rounds, the projectiles being exchanged across buildings and streets. Most buildings in the path of the siegers were partly or totally destroyed, many on fire. Bodies, both Tau, Imperial and civilian tumbled out of the ruined buildings, plunging to their deaths as fiery torches.

Like all hive cities int he Imperium the seemingly endless amount of buildings and habs were places so close together only small children could fit inbetween the gaps, and very rarely at that. Many of the buiildings were stacked upon other buildings, still in use or in ruins. These stacked buildings were perhaps one of the biggest deathtraps Colonel Bradington, among other ranking officers of the Laotian armor and Infantry regiments, would ever see.

Hundreds of men were crammed in them fighting for their lives, not only to kill the enemy, but to keep from falling off the precariously perched constructions. Many of those same battlegrounds were collapsing upon themselves as either demo charges, shells from both Imperail and Tau artillery and aircraft fire blew them apart.

Tanks rumbled and fought thorugh the wide marketplaces and meeting centers of the hive. The roadways were either crushed beneath the treads of the fighting machines or flung apart by tank shells. Hundreds of thousands of civilians stampeded in panic throughout the city. Dying in their hundreds every second, the men and women of Swadia were being mowed down like wheat stalks.

Caught in the crossfire between the battling armies the panicked citizens were slaughtered. But this was only some of the carnage that would occur.

* * *

The battle for the hive city of Swadia was perhaps the most brutal in the entire war yet. Not because of the appalling casualties that occurred, but the terrible destruction that was the result of the siege. One of perhaps the most famous examples was the battle for the main Ecclesiarchy church, The Temple of The Emperor.

The once peaceful place of worship became a fiercely contested battleground. In the ornamented gardens and the white marble steps of the church, even in the white-washed and golden interior war was waged.

Men of the Laotian 10th and 11th Laotian Regiments, and elements of the 213th Krastern Armored met the enemy in a brutal close combat. Commanded by the legendary war hero, Herk Uy "The Enlightened", the engagement became part of all the differing regiments history for its sheer ferocity.

Herk Uy personally led the charge of nearly one thousand men to capture the toughest part of the Tau defense, his Power Whip in one hand, a golden Aquilla standard in the other. His silver breastplate, blessed by the five Cardinals Palatines themselves, seemed to deflect the shots of the Tau and their allies, allowing him to charge unwounded to fight the Tau up close and personal.

In the melee which occurred due to the charge the great golden statue of Father Peto, first High Priest of the Temple, was toppled by a Tau Ion Cannon. The massive statue, its hand raised to the masses as if in farewell, toppled into the pools of the crater filled gardens, flinging perfectly clear water over the fighitng forces.

The fighting at the Temple would continue for another hour and a half before the Tau forces were finally broken by the death of the Shas'vre leading them. Scenes like this were occurring all across the hive, desperate fights that bellied belief as to the unimaginable indignity and suffering that went into the battles.

Many of those fights, like at the Temple of the Emperor, were won by the Imperium, but many others were not.

* * *

At the massive amphitheater in the Upper Habs of Swadia one of the most disastrous losses occurred. Commanded by a Major Raiddisha of the 45th Laotian Armored Regiment, nearly eighty tanks of the 45th and eight hundred Loatian infantry of the 3rd Infantry Regiment were under his command.

They had fought upwards throught the opulence of the Upper Habs before reaching the amphitheater. This amphitheater, once used to entertain the wealthy and elite of the city, had been deemed a key location by Imperial Tacticians in the Imperial Fleet to capture due to its size and great point of view it offered.

The major pushed his men thorugh the sizable houses and apartments in the Upper Habs. His every step dogged by Tau Stealthsuits and Pathfinders, along with Tau allied humans. When Raiddisha finally arrived at the amphitheater he was surprised to find it unguarded. He quickly got his men into the theater and almost desperatley circled up the tanks and got hs men into the protection of armor.

At this point most Guard commander would be ripping their hair out at the stupidity of the major. It was standard doctrine that a commander never halted his armor forces or made them vulnerable by the inability to manuever unless absolutely necessary.

Raiddisha was spooked and needed order confirmations, and in the process of doing that, he made his men vunerable.

The Tau took advantage of the commanders weakness. Kroot swarmed down from the sides and side entrances fo the amphitheater, firing their rifles at the stationary Laotians. Tau Pathfinder squads started to shoot Photon Grenades at the Guardsmen using the launchers slung underneath their Pulse Carbines. Rail Rifle shots zoomed out and sent men flying to the ground, heads gone or neat holes thorugh their bodies.

Hundreds of rebel PDF then filled into the arena, setting up Stubbers and Mortars that began to fire on the Laotian's below. Major Raiddisha was crying pathetically as the enemy swarmed around the hastily firing tanks and men under his command.

Kroot and PDF swarmed over the aiming Leman Russ's, popping open the hatches with well places shots before dropping grenades into the tanks. The dull crumps of detonation sounded all about the major as his men were slaughtered.

His aide was running towards him when a las round entered his neck, traveled down thorugh his ribcage and exited his hip. Raiddisha knew that he had failed, he and his men would pay the price for his failure.

He pulled his service pistol from his holster and aimed at the nearest Kroot.

The Laotain major heard a whining sound behind him and sighed.

Then his upper torso was blasted away with a wave of close round pulse shots.

As the Major Raiddisha Turvi's corpse fell to the ground Shas'ui Kunas'Ka lowered his Burstcannon and reactivated his stealth field.

* * *

The Imperial forces were wavering in the face of a determined Tau resistance and the confusion of fighting in the massive hive city of Swadia. In the direct center of the massive breach that the Nova Cannonhad blasted the Mechanicus forces were slowly pushing forward but paying a much to heavy price that would make them stop if they didn't.

To either side of the heavy fighting for the courtyard and the plazas of the city the Imperial Guard was slowly being pushed back for every inch of ground they bought with the lives of their men. There was a general sense of defeat and dismay in the air.

That was until the first drop pods started to scream through the atmosphere.

The 5th company of the Mantis Warriors Chapter came to the aid of the embattled Imperial forces. Librarian Ashok had prepped his entire company back into orbit to the Mantis Warriors Battle Barge, _Emperor's Might _for the assualt on Swadia. Most Space Marine commanders, once on the ground never returned their forces to orbit unless their objectives were complete.

But Ashok had known to prepare his men for drop pod assault, the city was too winding and complex to try a conventional assault without massive losses. But with teh adcantage of swift and decisive advantage of drop pods it disabled the advantage the Tad had with thier prepared posistions.

His men screamed towards the ground with frightening speed but despite the shaking of the pod Ashok smiled.

* * *

Sister Superior Charity swiveled her head in the direction of her objective. The Valkryies carrying the Battle Sisters were flying all around her.

Every few minutes another squad or vehicle of the Sisters was dropped into the LZ to bolster the ever growing ranks of assembling Battle Sisters. She looked up and laughed as her helmet optics picked up the falling drop pods carrying the Space Marines.

"Sister Superior?"

Charity turned to regard Seraphim Lowell, her twin Bolt Pistols clutched in her hands.

"Yes?"

"All our squads report complete readiness."

"Good." A pause, only the whirring of the Valkryies motors interrupting the silence.

"Sister Superior?"

"Yes?"

"So do we advance?"

"Yes, we advance."

The Duaghters of the Emperor marshaled out to destroy the hated xenos.


	12. For the Emperor

Authors Note: I am really sorry for the long update, several things kept me back, but here it is, enjoy and review!

* * *

Trooper Gueryan of the New Yanir Liberation Army ducked into the doorway of a flame gutted building. Lasrounds whistled past the former PDF trooper as the advancing Imperial Guard fired on the ambushers.

All around Gueryan squads of turncoat PDF fired down with Lasrifles, Autorifles and a collection of varying Stubbers. Plumes of smoke drifted in the air, carrying the sounds of battle throughout the city.

Flights of glittering aircraft would pass overhead every few minutes, rumbling the buildings with their passing. Bursts of explosions followed in their wake.

Columns of Imperial Guard, headed by dozens of armored vehicles had been blowing their way forward through the lower districts of the Hive city, making headway for hundreds more of their comrades to pour through.

All along the route ambushes had been sprung by Gueryan and his fellows, using their knowledge of the winding streets to their advantage. Hundreds of Liberation Army troopers had set up traps to catch the Imperials in waves of fire.

Several blocks approaching this current battleground were dotted in burned out vehicles and sprawled corpses. The burning and destroyed buildings of the lower portions of the city created a labyrinth of rubble which the PDF used to their advantage.

This was their turf and they were going to use it against the corrupt and destructive followers of the supposed "God-Emperor".

Gueryan ducked down as shells struck into the buildings around him. Leman Russ battle tanks rumbled forward, firing into the gaping maws of the surrounding buildings. Avalanches of burning material and bodies fell from the upper stories, hitting the ground with a collection of meaty thumps.

Men in golden combat armor ducked expertly between the cover of their tanks and fallen pieces of masonry, exchanging fire with the hidden PDF forces. The forces of the Liberation Army was slowly being strangled by the numbers and expertise of the Guardsmen.

Gueryan ducked out of the doorway, firing a burst of fire from his Autogun. The bullets smacked into the cover of a few Guardsmen and sent one of them flying over in a brief spurt of blood, most of his face gone.

Lasbolts flickered around Gueryan as he ran for the next building, singing his patched and faded grey-blue uniform. He rolled under another hissing flights of bolts, the cracked stones of the road digging into his back, before coming to his feet again and firing the rest of his clip towards the Guardsmen ducking behind a wrecked ground car.

Another man was pitched off his feet, several holes appearing his chest and throat armor, before he clambered back up and began firing again. _Dammed thick armor._

Gueryan thought this with a bitter sense as he saw how woefully under equipped the PDF were compared to the off-worlders. Men were clothed still in their dirty uniforms issued to them when they joined the PDF, the bloodstained and ripped fabric hanging off some in strips. Others were wearing clothes which they had looted from civilians or even the tunics of Guardsmen.

The only thing in common with the clothing of the rebels were a crudely made patch on their shoulders showing their allegiance to the Tau Empire. He hurried over to the nearest group of men huddling in the building which were manhandling a Rocket Tube towards a firing position.

He dropped down besides the men and fumbled for another clip to place in his weapon. A weary sergeant was beside Gueryan, hefting rockets into the launcher before ducking down as the man carrying it fired.

Laying besides the man was a chipped and blunted officers sword and even through the dirt which covered the badly maintained surface Gueryan could tell whoever this guy was, he had obviously been wealthy.

Gueryan couldn't see why anyone that had money would want to fight a desperate battle against the Imperium, but war brought all sorts together. He placed another clip into his Autorifle and began firing in bursts of fire towards the Imperials, the bullets spanking off of thick tank plates or burying itself in combat armor.

All around Gueryan men were shooting and dying, the tracers from hundreds of different guns creating a lightshow that hid the deadly purpose of the components that created it. Heavy Bolter rounds tore up and down the length of the building, sending explosions of wood and dust into the air. Men that were hit shuddered and blew apart under the hail of explosive rounds.

Gueryan ducked as a stream of them passed over his head and blew apart a table behind him.

"Return fire!" the sergeant was yelling to those that could hear over the screams of the dying and the crackle of weapons fire.

A tank round passed through the boarded up window which Gueryan was sheltering near and continued its path through the length of the house before blowing apart the back rooms.

Dust and fire filled the confines of the structure, leaking into the early morning air, as the fight for the city had continued for nearly a day and it was now the first new dawn in the fight for Hive City Swadia.

Gueryan hefted himself and started to remove all the splinters of wood and glass that had lodged themselves in his arms and legs. He grunted as he removed a particularly long piece of a fine dining chair before ripping off a piece of his shirt and binding the cuts.

He picked up his weapon and headed over to the window looking out into the street, dead bodies collapsed around it, the blood of the former freedom fighters spattering the walls. Outside in the smoke filled air death was approaching, garbed in heavy plate.

Men , marching in disciplined ranks headed for the building singing a hymn to the skies. Polished rifles and blades in their gauntleted hands. Beside him the officer raised himself up, cradling his sword. PDF were crawling to his position, readying weapons and checking on comrades.

"What do you see?"

Gueryan looked behind him and saw the sergeant sharpening his sword.

"I see several squads of enemy infantry heading for us. Probably have heavy weapons coming forward to support also. Time to use that sword, nobleman."

The first lasbolts were smacking into the paneling around Gueryan now, the enemy so close he could smell them. One of the men next to Gueryan lost his head and shoulder in a puff of superheated blood. Others were returning fire, knocking over charging guardsmen with lasbolts and bullets.

He hefted his Autogun and clipped on his bayonet.

* * *

"Whatever happens, stick together!"

Captain Bayern yelled this into the vox link as he fired his Laspistol at the nearest enemies. Fire filled the air around him, hitting men around him and sending their lifeless bodies to the ground.

Nuls stood beside him and fired his Shotgun at anything that threatened his commander, a snarl of hate on his scarred face. Bayern swirled around in the ash filled air of the backstreets of Swadia, firing his pistol at the darting figures of the Tau.

Pulse rounds whipped around the captain, but he strode forward resolutely. The swathe of super heated rounds charring through his cloak and the edges of his armor. The rubble of buildings and destroyed ground cars was all around the charging Imperials.

He turned and shot a aiming Tau that was crouching beneath a charred doorway, burning a hole into its forehead. The blue brains of the alien hitting its fellows behind it. Bayern crouched below a flight of pulse rounds before running forward and slicing apart two Tau with quick slashes of his _uniyyal _blade, feeling the hot blood running down his armored forearms.

Bayern opened his vox channel while firing into the rubble in which Firewarriors huddled. "Drop and load men!"

The figures of 3rd company dropped to the battle scarred pavement and the support teams behind them opened fire. Autocannons and Rocket Tubes unleashed salvos into the enemy, corkscrews of missiles and cannon rounds smacking into the faces of the buildings.

Plumes of dust and rubble was thrown up into the air along with the occasional Tau body part. Several of the already fire burnt buildings collapsed in heaps of sparks, blackened wood and metal.

In the front of the formation of Guardsmen were the flame troopers, Jurk, Lillian and Omeck, unleashing waves of blistering fire. They raised their Flamers in unison before igniting the promethium in their tanks. The area around Bayern caught fire with a sudden searing heat, sucking oxygen out of the air with the force of the combustion.

He could hear the screaming of the Tau over the roaring of the flames and power cells cooking off.

Scattered shots still rang out across the alley, accompanying the crackle of the flames. Men were gathering equipment and securing positions all through the streets.

Any Tau wounded left behind by their comrades were rounded off and dumped unceremoniously in a corner. As the flames started to settle and men slowly crept out of cover, the process of regrouping begun.

"Sergeant Nev!" Bayern called into the air.

"Sir?"

Sergeant Nev scrambled over to Bayern's position, clutching his Lasrifle. Nev was of average build, not very handsome or the sort to seem like a good solider, but he was a dammed good one.

Nev was, in Bayern's and many others opinion, one of the most adept line officers Bayern had ever seen, his quiet manner belaying his skills. His face was unscarred from the years of war in the Emperor's name, his dark black eyes seeming to soak up the light.

"Get your platoon up that rubble, take a few heavy weapons with you, I want a crossfire on the Tau."

" Yes, sir."

Nev hurried off, calling to his men. "Sergeant Crowes if you would please get your ass over here."

In between the crumbling buildings in which Bayern was fighting he caught glimpses of the main forces of Imperial Guard pushing through the open streets. Gunfire and the rumble of tanks was a constant sound in the doomed city. The continual shelling from the Imperial battle lines was still striking every few moments, making the ground shake with the fury of the projectiles.

Men were constantly keeping their teeth gritted so as not to chip and break them from the vibrations.

"Captain Bayern?"

Crowes stood to Bayern's side his face set in a bloodthirsty grin, in his hands he gripped a modified Laslock, the powerful one shot rifle fitted with a range targeting unit.

Pale, muscled, with a burst of wild blonde hair and a lean face, Crowes looked every inch a savage fighter. Crowes was a detached killer and commander, preferring the art of stealth and swift kills to the bravo and glory of sergeants like Ghor, Uwel and Johnson.

Crowes was close friends with Lieutenant Argos, as both were adept scouts and killers. The Laslock was his preferred weapon which he used in place of a regular Mark III Lasrifle, preferring the extra killing power and range. Belted at his waste along with the standard grenades, field aid and ammo clips of any guardsmen was a compact knife of some sort of glossy stone.

The weapon was a relic of Crowes past in the dry plains of West Laotia where large groups of outlaws and mutants from the hive cities sheltered. The Arbites had needed men to round up their fugitives and Crowes had answered the call. Even then he had been a killer, the knife claiming more lives then many guardsmen got in their first years of fighting.

His equipment variation from the rest of the Laotian guardsmen was not limited to just weaponry. He was armored with a much slimmer and dulled version of Laotian combat armor, preferring mobility and speed.

"Get some scouts into the surrounding area, I need to know what were advancing in."

"Yes sir. Permission to get my hands dirty sir?"

Bayern turned his tanned and lined face towards the sergeant, "Permission granted."

"Thank you sir."

Crowes marshaled his men and headed into the twisting maze of alleyways that associated with any hive city. Dozens of men were laying low in the burned out, corpse strewn battlefield that had been ablaze with action just a few minutes ago.

Corpsmen moved through the press, administering aid to the wounded or saying blessings to the dead and dying. Bayern sheathed his _uniyyal _blade and holstered his pistol before turning to his adjutant, Nuls, who was sitting heavily on a stack of crisp Tau bodies.

Nuls, a scarred, coarse man, was Bayern's closest friend next to Lieutenant Argos. Nuls was busy cleaning his weapon of choice, a Assault Shotgun, and doing a ammo check, counting and placing each shell into his Musset bag. On his back was a large, battered vox caster that burped static on different frequencies.

"Any word on the vox?"

The vox-trooper looked up, then without saluting, "Nothing but white noise sir."

The gravelly voice of Nuls sounded particularly airy with the announcement.

"So what do you purpose we do? Eh, Lord-Commadner Nuls?"

"I say we go onwards, not much else we can do." NUls deliverd this particular piece of advice with a gap toothed grin.

"Fine get the men together."

"Yes, sir."

Bayern looked across the readying men of 2nd Company pride. The universe had thrown all manner of things at the sons of Laotia, but nothing had ever broke them.

Bayern readjusted his armor and was about to stride off when the vox beeped in his ear.

"Bayern here."

"Its Johnson sir. What do we do with the bluies?"

"What do you think?"

"Sir, yes sir."

Bayern smiled grimly as he heard the rapid popping of lasrounds in the air.

_For the Emperor._

* * *

Sister Superior Charity charged through a hail of fire coming from the enemy positions, many of the incoming projectiles ricocheted off her armor. She opened up her HUD in her Sabbat Pattern Helm and locked on to three different targets, the advanced tech easily penetrating the glare of battle.

_New targets._

Charity continued running but let her mind wander for a few moments as she braced for battle. The assault on the Tau's supplies had been successful by any standards, if with high losses.

The Sisters, along with the Mantis Warrior Space Marines, had both arrived via fast attack transports into the battle of the hive city. While the Astartes had been given the task of destroying the Tau command structure, Charity and her sisters had attacked the Tau supplies.

The Imperial tacticians in the Lord General's staff had said that without their supplies the Tau would fall much faster. So here Charity was, buying every inch of Warehouse 987J with the blood of her sisters.

She jumped over a fallen Battle Sister, holes punched into her head and neck, the fatal wounds recieved as she had also tried to rush the Tau. She ignited her Hand Flamer, the blistering flames, a embodiment of the Emperor's will, rushed towards the crouching Tau soldiers.

One of them was blown apart as the flames cooked off it ammunition, another was melted inside his armor, the material flowing in rivulets. The other managed to raise a pistol before his head was cut from his body by the strike of Charity's Power Axe.

She turned and waved forward the rest of her Battle Sister squad, the black Power Armored forms rushing forward like wraiths of death, bolters glinting in hands.

Overhead in the large space of the storage bunker Seraphim sisters flew overhead, wings of fire propelling them forward. The elite sisters poured Bolt Pistol fire and dropped grenades on the heads of the Tau, reaping destruction amongst their ranks.

Retributor squads were hunkered down firing off blasts of melta fire that destroyed bulkheads and shelves of supplies. Lashes of fire from Heavy Flamers turned aliens into screaming torches, the burning xenos creating macabre dance of death for the Battle Sisters. Heavy Bolter fire smacked through the Tau, making fist size holes and chopping apart bodies.

"With me Sisters!"

Charity rushed through the battle for the Tau supply depot, her squad following. Up ahead was a hastily assembled barricade of crates, bodies and lifting equipment, ripe for slaughter.

Charity opened the vox link to the Seraphim squads. "Sister Lowell I need the Angels of the Emperor to show His wrath upon the xenos."

"Yes Sister Superior."

Soon the jetpack equipped sisters were flying to deliver death as Lowell gave them their orders. She turned to her firing Sisters, their bolters barking at the Tau pulse rounds which screamed around them.

"Ready yourselves, when the Seraphim hit we will charge them."

"Yes Sister Superior!"

The response was automatic, for the questioning of orders was a cardinal sin to the Sisters. Charity crouched low, letting the battle flow around her, rage building as she saw Sisters die to the Tau.

This was the time in which Charity channeled her holy rage of the Emperor's enemies, letting it renew her and give her new strength. She looked up from her reverie as light flared in her vision, filtered out by her optics. A Phosphor grenade clearing the way, Lowell's Serpahim hit the enemy from above, the last place the arrogant aliens would expect.

Krak and Phosphor grenades dropped from the formation of elite sisters, blowing apart and immolating the Tau, Bolt Pistols fired in rapid chains, jerking the Tau from cover with their power. Sister Lowell herself was striding on the corpses of the slain, bolt pistols flashing, exploding heads and destroying torsos with her fire.

"Now!"

Charity sprinted through the wide space, her axe already humming in her hand with power. She vaulted the barricade, closely followed by her sisters, and began to dismember those Tau around her in the flashing melee.

Her axe flashed, cutting through a firing Tau, a mist of blood covering her chest and head. She swirled on her heel and broke another of the aliens ribs with the haft of her axe with a quick jab before carving through it with a diagonal slash that struck like a thunderbolt.

She absorbed the impact of swinging rifle butt and used the impact to drive her back and then immolated her attacker with her Flamer with the extra room she had just gained. A jolt rocked through her body as a blade was forced into her stomach plate by a Tau warrior that appeared in front of her.

The razor sharp metal dug into her Power Armor before hitting her stomach. Blood spurted from the wound and Charity gasped with pain. Then the Tau lost its head as she jerked her head to the side and one of her squad mates fired her Bolter.

The same Sister lost most of her legs and pelvis as a lance of energy destroyed her lower body. Charity dragged herself to her feet, fighting the blazing pain in her abdomen, her nerves screaming.

She pushed herself to a piece of fallen machinery and propped herself up against it. As the battle raged around her she recited Litanies of Faith, fighting against the pain. She was abruptly shaken from her prayers as Sister Maya, one of her squad, appeared in front of her.

"Don't worry Sister your days of fighting for the Emperor are not done yet."

Maya began binding her wounds with anti-biotic gauze, stemming the flow of blood. The pain killers in the bandages worked their magic as the fire in her stomach slowly dulled. Maya then began patching up her armor with repair cement, the fast acting sealant plugging the hole in her armor.

Charity nodded her head in thanks to the Sister before dragging herself to her feet. Around her the battle for Warehouse 987J still raged with force, just moving in a different direction.

"Sister Superior are you able to fight?"

Maya I am always ready to slay His foes." Together the pair hefted their weapons and rejoined the fray.

* * *

Shas'vre Elan ran towards the collapsed bar, ragged gasps issuing from his throat. Around him a few squads of Tau Firewarriors, Pathfinders and even Kroot Carnivores were also running to the shelter of the building. After the nearly limitless Mechanicus forces had routed Elan and his men at the main courtyard, it had been a run and gun battle for his remaining forces.

In his numb and bloodied hands he grasped a Pulse Carbine, his Pulse Rifle having been lost in the fight in between the courtyard and here. In front of him one of the remaining Gue'vesa, a battered Lasrifle in his hands, was killed as a tank round flew into the cobblestones.

One of the flying pieces of stone caved in the humans face. Elan jumped over the body and shouted for those around him to run faster. More tank rounds were whistling into the street and buildings around him, throwing up debris and smoke.

He dived into the cover of a abandoned sandbagged emplacement in bar, flinching as more tank round whistled in. Nearly another forty or so jumped in with him, the rest dead or moving on.

Outside Elan could see the Mechanicus battle tanks moving up, along with scores of Skitarri and Battle Servitors. Fire began to thud heavily into the emplacement, las, auto and bolter rounds cracking into the barrier.

He turned to a Kroot that was holding a bloodstained cleaver and hammer, yelling over the din. "Could you get some Carnivores onto the rooftops or through some of the buildings? We need to flank them!"

The Kroot, Bijk, turned and flashed a feral smiled at the Tau officer, teeth stained red with blood flashing in the dim light.

"We can try Tau."

Elan peeked his head over the rim of the sandbags, shrinking back as a missile struck next to the building.

"Well then get to it!"

Bijk leapt up, calling to the other Kroot in the room, they collected their weapons and disappeared into the night via the back door. By that time nearly four battle tanks were outside along with about fifty Tech-Guard and Battle Servitors.

The fire pouring into the building and sandbags was immense. The structure shook as a tank round gutted the upper stories, obliterating several of Elan's men. Elan leaned over the sandbags again and loosed off several rounds with his Carbine, seeing them topple one of the Tech-Guard in a burst of oil and blood.

Then the fire lightened as Bijk's Kroot showed themselves on the roofs of several buildings. Those Kroot with rifles were firing down into the mass of troops, every shot finding a body due to the closed area of fighting. Others were holding crude, spherical bombs in their hands, fuses sparkling.

They dropped into the mass below and began hacking into the humans with blades and claws. Elan noted that Bijk himself was in the fighting, hacking down any in his way to the nearest tank.

As the Kroot reached the first tank he jammed his explosive into one of its cannon barrels, leaping onto the hull of the machine with a sure footed leap. Bijk quickly jumped off and once again began hacking into the mass of metal and flesh around him.

The battle tank exploded spectacularly, sending shrapnel flying all across the street.

The next tank to die was killed by a Kroot that had lost its arm and shoulder to its Heavy Bolter that was stumbling towards it, before it was shot down in front of it. The bomb rolled out form the Kroot's dead fingers before going into the tank's spinning tracks and exploding.

The many tons of war machine was toppled onto its side, crushing several of the milling Tech-Guard beneath it. The remaining tanks were rumbling backwards trying to get way from the Kroot and the next one died.

One of the more bloodthirsty members of Bijk's pack was heading towards the third tank when he was eviscerated by a Battle Servitor's combat blade. The tank then drove forward over the now dead alien and the bomb that had been clutched in its fist exploded underneath it. Pieces of metal punching into the tanks fuel tanks, blowing it apart.

The final tank, recognizing its danger, backed down the street. An overhanging piece of rubble struck its top and ripped it away in a shower of sparks, ending its flight.

The Tech-Guard were now vulnerable without their armor support and Elan planned to use that vulnerability. "Charge!"

Tau, Rebels and Kroot all began running towards the mass of Mechanicus troops, firing their respective weapons. Elan was with them, firing bursts into the enemy, felling mechanical warriors with every burst of pulse fire.

Lasbolts flickered in the air as the Tech-Guard returned fire, killing several of the charging Tau around Elan, crisping skin and muscle. Elan lifted his Carbine and thumped out a Photon Grenade from the launcher mounted underneath it.

The sphere flew through the air and detonated in the midst of the Tech-Guard. Eyes and optics seared by the detonation, the Tech-Guard were exposed.

Elan shot down the first one in his path, feeling blood spatter his face, before drawing his Bonding Knife and stabbing it into the chest of another enemy. A heavy servitor lumbered into view and ignited a Flamer which crisped four of Elan's men in seconds.

It swiveled towards Elan himself, raising its weapon when the Tau commander lunged forward and buried his blade in its throat, sparks appearing from he wound. He ducked beneath a swinging arm that almost took his head off, before shoving his weapon into its stomach and blowing out its insides. He dropped down as a heavy fist was punched into his chest, dropping him to the ground. Gritting as he felt several bones break he looked into the face of a snarling Tech-Guard, its fist cl

The combat machine toppled over with a crash and Elan crouched back down into a fighting stance, expecting more fighting. The battle had ended, which Elan hadn't noticed due to his own fights, the Mechanicus forces having been destroyed.

The Tau turned towards Bijk, his face streaked with blood and oil, new wounds on his tough hide and flashed a salute which the Kroot returned.

"Casualties?"

Bijk just gestured to the ground, which was littered with corpses. Tau and Kroot moved throughout the press of bodies, finishing off wounded Tech-Guard and Battle Servitors with quick shots or rifle butts.

"Bijk go up on that roof over there and get us a better view, the comms isn't working."

"Sure."

Bijk started to climb the building, a repair shop for various machines that any citizen of the Imperium had in their household, the roof eroded partially giving the Kroot many handholds. Bijk reached the top and shaded his eyes, looking out over the surrounding streets. A block away a furious firefight was raging as Tau and Mechanicus armor dueled.

"What do you see Bijk?"

The question was yelled by Elan down below.

"There is a armor fight going on to the west of us and of course there is the dozens of other battles that are happening throughout he city."

_Dam, so we cant go the most likely way to help, we will have head to deeper into the city._

Elan thought this as he surveyed the remains of his command, not even twenty were left of the nearly one hundred thirty that he had set out form the courtyard with.

"Come on down Bijk, time to go!"

Bijk was staring out at the city as he heard the order. He turned and was starting his climb down when his head and upper spine disappeared in a flash of superheated blood.

* * *

Sniper Fure of the 7th company of the Laotian 3rd Regiment smiled as he lowered his Long-Las.

The inside of the bell tower that Fure was in was covered in trash and debris, brought on by disrepair. The windows had a good vantage point across this area of the city, when Fure had first come across he knew it would be perfect for his work.

He had made it his home for the past day and a half, scoring countless kills. He lowered his sniper rifle and began switching out his used clip for another Hot Shot, the overcharged ammo perfect for sniper work.

The kill had been clean and quick, killing the xeno before it new what hit it. Fure's smile soured as he imagined his rival, Sniper Ced.

The arrogant bastard had probably killed twice as many of Fure and he was going to rub it in Fure's face when they were reunited back at the main camp.

He looked back at is kill and thought about how many more he needed to kill to catch up with Ced.

_Time to find new prey._

He raised his rifle again and looked for another target.

* * *

Elan cursed as he saw Bijk tumble to the ground lifelessly, another good soldier gone.

He turned to his remaining men, they were all angry at another of their numbers death, gripping weapons tightly, muttering oaths.

"You want revenge for Bijk, well then come on and lets kill more of these corpse following scum."

They growled their agreement at his words and hefted their weapons. Soon the group of Tau, Kroot and PDF were swallowed up by the city.

* * *

Librarian Ashok snarled as he beheaded another Tau warrior with his Force Staff. Swirling around him was the rest of the Mantis Warriors 5th Company fought all around him in the outer chambers of the Governor's Palace in the Upper Hive.

When the Drop Pods of the Space Marines had crashed into the area around the Governor's Palace they had disembarked with the speed and efficiency only the Emperor's elite could hope to have. Bolter, Lascannon, Plasma and Missile fire had annihilated all the Tau and PDF that had rushed out of the surrounding barracks to stop the Marines.

Tau and rebel PDF armor had appeared before being destroyed by fire from Devastator Squads, Brother-Dreadnought Kruidan and the tanks they had brought with them, delivered by Thunderhawk Gunships. Heaps of burning metal littered the roadway leading to the Palace, their crews scattered about them in charred heaps.

The turrets mounted on the Palace's gatehouse had been destroyed by precise missile strikes from the Thunderhawks, the wrecks falling off the wall. They had blown the gate of Palace with one shot from the siege cannon mounted on the lone Vindicator Tank they had airlifted in.

Following behind Dreadnought Kruidan and the two Predators and one Vindicator Tank, the Mantis Warriors had stormed into the breach.

Ashok now commanded the Scout Squad Octavius, Tactical Squads Juhn and Cain, Assault Squad Tren and Devastator Squad Setry. With over a third of the company under his command Ashok powered through the surprised Tau defenses with contemptuous ease.

He turned as a fusillade of pulse fire whipped past him before silencing the shooters with deft shots from Bolt Pistol. He stormed through a fire engulfed hallway, several Assault Marines behind him, and emerged into the main antechamber for the Palace.

Tactical Marines of Squad Cain were fighting in close combat and sniper rounds from the scouts, sheltered behind a baulstrade, were picking off Tau, PDF and Kroot. Several of Setry's Devastators were sheltered behind fallen pillars, previously decorating the room, having been shot dwon by weapons fire.

He roared a challenge to the enemy and charged. His staff swiped forward and cut through a crouching Tau before lunging forward and impaling a PDF on his crackling blades. One of the Assault Marines behind him, Brother Shibo, cleaved a Kroot in two with his whining Chainsword before losing his head to a PDF officer's Powersword.

Another of the Assault Marines, Brother Ide, was then skewered by the sword as he clambered up from the ground after taking a stream of Heavy Stubber fire to his chest. Ashok roared and began to attack the rebel, his eyes blazing with crimson physic power.

He slashed forward and the man met his staff in a explosion of power. Blue crackles of energy from the heretic's Power Sword danced with Ashok's red flames of physic power which glowed around his staff.

He continued to duel with the officer, noticing that the man, though unaguemented, was of considerable skill. Ashok wondered how such stalwart warrior could be turned to the side of the xenos before deciding that it did now matter why, just that he did.

The differing lights from their clashing weapons lit up the features of both combatants, combining with the glow of burning furniture and firing weapons in the gold-blue walls of the Palace's antechamber. The rebel officer's face was young, maybe early thirties, the features unlined by the strain of age, his green eyes were ringed with fatigue, the siege of the city having taking its toll on the man.

Ashok's hard set features, his prominent jaw and brow, were the epitome of noble birth, the dark skin pockmarked with scars. He snarled at the man, forcing his staff towards his opponents neck with his superior strength.

"You shall die for your treachery to the Emperor!"

The man, though strained with the fight with Ashok, managed to snarl back, showing white teeth, "And you shall die as the Greater Good destroys the corrupt Imperium!"

The Mantis Warrior shook his head slightly as he heard the blasphemy issuing from the traitor's mouth.

"Your Greater Good is nothing but an excuse to take the worlds rightfully belonging to Imperium!"

With a grunt of effort Ashok cave in the man's skull with a quick punch, blood and bone splattering his face. He turned away from the corpse and saw that his fellow marines were done with their fights as well, the bodies of their foes littering the walkway.

"Time to go."

The Mantis Warrior Librarian then turned and sprung into the melee below. His staff flashed before him, slashing apart Kroot that had sprung into the fight from the many side passages leading into the antechamber.

The Kroot blades flashed and carved furrows into burnished green Power Armor of the Mantis Warriors, several of the Tactical Marines had been slain or suffered severe wounds. Even as the Marines died they pulled down the enemy and killed them on the ground with their hands, fighting to their last breath.

The marble floor of the large chamber was awash in blood pockmarked with bullet scars. Ashok dodged away from a Tau rifle round, and then head butted the alien, smashing its forehead.

He hacked apart a reeling Kroot with his staff, its body falling to the ground in a steaming heap. He reeled as a shot from a Kroot rifle hit his shoulder, powering through his armor and digging into the flesh beneath. He grimaced at the surging pain and spun around emptying his pistol's clip up into the walkways.

He smiled as a body fell to the ground with a meaty smack. His grin grew wider as Veteran Sergeant Cain strode to the fore of the battle, his ornamented bolter firing in quick bursts, while he held a gleaming shortsword that hacked around him.

The appearance of Cain and Ashok galvanized the Space Marines to further heights of bravery and courage, driving the foe before them. The Tau forces were in full retreat, still being gunned down the by the Space Marines when the ground started to tremble.

"Form up! Reload!"

Sergeant Cain yelled this as the shaking increased and the source was suddenly in front of the Mantis Warriors. A Krootox, rider on its back aiming a large cannon mounted on the beasts back, burst through one of the low doorways with a bellow.

The gun on its back roared and the shells from the cannon blew apart one of the scouts in a shower of gore before a creeping line of tracers killed a crouching Devastator. The beast then lumbered forward and smashed its fist into one of the Assualt Marines, the marine flew like a rag doll through the air with a sickening smack into one of the blood stained walls.

Ashok roared and charged forward along with Cain and several other marines, the rest already emptying their weapons into the Krootox. It roared as bloody chunks were ripped from its body from bolter fire and it charged forward and ripped the head from one of the charging marines that was near Ashok, Brother Graman, a stalwart man that had served with the chapter for nearly twenty four years.

Sergeant Cain roared and slammed his sword into the things chest, its tough hide parting beneath the power of the blow. It shrugged its shoulders and Cain was sent flying through the air also, bowling over one of the Tactical Marines.

Ashok rolled forward beneath a stream of shells from the Krootox's cannon, his momentum carrying him forward. Then one of Octavius's scouts blew the Kroot manning the gun from its perch with a well placed shot. The other Marines sprung from cover as the fire coming from the weapon dissapeared.

Ashok jumped to his feet and propelled his staff forward, channeling his energy at the tip using the focusing matrix embedded in its haft. It punched thorugh its chest and into its heart with a flash of energy and the smell of burning flesh.

The Krootox turned its head towards Ashok with a last hateful gaze before he loosed another burst of energy inisde of the things chest. Fire billowed out from the hole in its chest and from its mouth and it hit the ground with the sound of cracking stone.

Ashok turned his gaze upon the remaining marines, many of them wounded in some way, in need of an Apothecary. He was breathing heavily from his phsyic exhertions, the strain taking its toll upon him. Cain was halling himself to his feet, grimacing at the pain of several broken ribs no doubt and Ashok turned towards him.

"Stay here and make sure the dead and seriulsy wouned see the Apothercaries."

"Sir, but.."

"No, you will stay here, I will not risk the final assualt against the enemy commanders with wouned warriors and besides the chapter's Geneseed is too precious. Stay here."

Cain bowed his head in acceptance of his orders and limped his way back. Ashok nodded to the rest that was following him and ran into the main hallway to the Governor's chambers.

* * *

Shas'el Kaara'nem gritted her teeth as another explosion crumped outside the Governor's Court Chambers. Kaara'nem was one of the Cadre Elite, a soldier trained for the purpose of defending the worthies of the Tau Empire from all danger.

Her bone white armor shined in the dull light of the chambers, the combat armor fitting around her taut frame perfectly. In her hands glinted a Pulse Carbine while on clamped in a bandolier around her waist was a Pulse Pistol and several EMP grenades. Crossed across her back were her Dak'e'kan, the slim, razor sharp blades within easy reach of her hands.

Around the opulently furnished court room were another dozen of her fellow Cadre Elite, wrist-mounted Burstcannons aimed for firing. Outside the thickly walled room a battle was raging between the desperate Tau defenders and the Imperium's elite, the Space Marines. Each moment more lives were lost trying to hold them back, delaying the inveitable.

"Dro'ta'ai is the route cleared for the diplomat?"

Her fellow Elite was silent for a moment as the interhelmet comms worked through the interference of the battle. "Yes Shas'el, the route is secured for the Ko'El."

"Good make sure it says that way."

She strode across the marble veined floors to Por'Ko'El, the Tau diplomat to the Gue'la in the hive city. The old Tau turned his head briefly in her direction before turning back to his conversation with the Rebel Governor, Hugar Lorn.

She interuptted the conversation with a low cough.

"Ko'El we must go, the enemy is almost upon us."

"Why must we flee, I am confident that you and the worthy Governor's men could rout the intruders."

The Tau Water Caste member talked in Low Gothic for the benefit of the humans in the room, boosting their spirits. Kaara'nem sighed, the diplomat was always adding words that were not needed in urgent situations.

"Ko'El, I must insist it is not safe, even with my and the Governor's soldiers."

Kaara'nem gestured to the Governor's guards, the men were all strongly built, holding artisan crafted Las-locks. They were garbed in heavy, teal, mesh armor, their powerful las weapons clutched in their hands. On their soldiers were carved symbols of their aliegiance to the Greater Good and Governor Hugar.

"Koel, you must leave, your guard is right."

That was Hugar, his heavy set, pale face speaking the words from his fat lips. He couldn't say the Tau diplomat's name correctly so he called him by the nickname Koel, forming the two parts together into one.

"I will stay, alone, and delay the Marines."

Kaara'nem and her fellow Tau were shocked by the humans announcement, the human's willingness to lay down his life shaking them. Por'Ko'El stepped forward and embraced the man, awkwardly trying to recreate human gesture of friendship.

"Your sacrifice to the Tau'va shall not be forgotten Hugar."

The fat governor smiled a shaky smile, "Now go, you too guards."

Kaara'nem hurried the diplomat over to the secret pasageway, her squad mates filing behind her. Dto'ta'ai stood near the tunnel along with two other members of the Cadre Elite, their weapons pointed outwards.

Kaara'nem turned her head to the three, "Lets go, now!"

They hurried into the darkened tunnel leading to the idden airfield. Behind them were Hugar's palace guards, walking more hesitantly in the back, wanting to defend their lord. Kaara'nem waved them thorugh, before turning around once more to look at the governor.

He was seated on his throne, waiting for the doors to the room to be opened.

The Shas'el gave him a quick salute and closed the door.

* * *

The doors exploled in front of Ashok, the venerable-dreadnought Kruidan caving them in with a blow from his huge blade blade. The Mantis Warriors filed into the room, aiming Bolters.

On the throne of the governor sat a overweight, pallid man, his eyes shining with defiance and fear. There was no sign of the enemy.

Brother-Sergeant Setry steped forward and lowered his Plasma Cannon, ready to turn the traitorus man to ashes.

"Stay your hand Brother Setry."

The Devastator Sergeant lowered his weapon at the Librarian's command, stepping backwards. Ashok strode towards Governor Hugar, his eyes blazing with pyshic power.

"Traitor Governor Hugar Lorn, I arrest you for your deviancy from the Emperor's will, you are coming with us."

The man looked up from hs gilded throne, tears in his eyes.

"Yes, I guess I am."


	13. Fuel for the Fires

Authors Note: Sorry bout the long update time, sometimes I just stop writing, don't complain, embrace it!

* * *

Noxtras Chewtski, Captain of the 567th Grand Voystroyan Artillery smiled grimly at the morning light that filtered through the dense foliage of the swamp.

All around Noxtras Voystroyan men in crumpled, filthy tunics were awakening with yawns, groans, curses and the sounds of alcohol being poured. Pickets were stumbling into the awakening camp, eyes bleary with fatigue after a night on duty.

Chewtski patted each one on the back as they passed him, forcing words of encouragement through his mouth. The effort of forming the syllables was due to the fact of his entire face being scarred due to a Nid' acid hitting him in the face.

The fight which had claimed nearly 30 of his gunners had been named a "Minor Engagement" by the Adminstratum, the planet had even been named yet, just a dam backwater.

_Bastards, need to see one of those Minor Engagements__._

Noxtra's face folded into a frown, the only expression the scarred tissue seemed able to create with ease. That frown quickly turned into a scowl as his already filthy boots sunk into the muck which constituted as ground in the Southern Coast of Yanir.

The average rainfall in the south was nearly 2,000 centimeters of rain a year plus the tropical storms which carried floods and monsoon winds to the already flooded cities. The result of such a climate meant that much of the land in the south consisted of flooded plains and bog like marshes, inhabited by a variety of creatures which a great many of Adeptus Biologis adepts would love to study.

Noxtras ended his thoughts as he arrived at the first battery of Basilisk artillery platforms which were Voystroyan's means of war. The machines were simple in design but ingenious due to that same simplicity.

Basilisks were essentially a stripped down and modified Chimera chassis with a open topped hull which mounted a huge Earthshaker Cannon, the mainstay of all Imperial Guard artillery regiments.

At the moment the guns, capable of such destruction stood silent, their tired crews clambering up to their spots in the vehicles. Scratching at the uncountable amount of bug bites which accumulated on them overnight despite bug netting and pesticide dispensers stationed outside the ratty, standard issue Guard tents.

Noxtras nodded to the men, receiving hasty salutes and making lively banter with the men. After nearly two weeks of fighting having passed now on the Tau held planet many combat units had been stretched to the limit.

Commissars had been administering moral boosting speeches and enforcing discipline but there was only so many of the feared officers.

Troops needed morale in the hellish battlefield of coast and perhaps today was the day it was gained.

Chewtski strode over to the comms-tent the sludge of the ground pulling at his boots as he walked. He had to avoid cars of shells being moved up to the Basilisks, preparing for today's firing.

_Always firing to be had on this Emperor forsaken rock._

Noxtras listened to the myriad amount of swamp life around him.

He strode on to the comms-tent.

* * *

The tent was a bustle of activity, vox operators and Army Tac Corps were moving around with a sense of purpose, "Operation Blastwave" was about to begin.

Lord General Felix Durntz had created the operation as he had received the increasingly dismal reports from the vicious fighting in the marsh areas separating the coastal cities from the main continent which most life on Yanir was situated.

The casualty figures resulting from the fighting in the marshes was unbelievable, so the command staff had realized they needed something decisive to break through the Tau ring of steel.

Operation Blastwave was the answer they believed would solve the problem.

Relying on the staple of the Imperial Guard, firepower. The Voystroyan's would use their artillery to commence an all out ordinance assault against the Tau positions which using ground artillery and flights of bombers from the Navy.

"Sir! Captain!"

Noxtras turned as a man in a intelligence officer uniform hurried over to him. Noxtras forced a smile onto his face, "Gausser, nice to see you."

Gausser weaved his way through the bustle of the tent before stopping in front of the Captain. "What a wonderful day for a offensive sir!"

Gausser seemed exhilarated by the news of the operation but Noxtras was not, just another chance for his men to die on this terrible battlefield.

Over these past weeks the Voystroyans had learned that the Tau missile artillery was incredibly accurate.

"If you say so Gausser."

The young man seemed confused at the comment before his confused expression changed to one of slyness.

"Seems someone hasn't had their morning drink of _rhazhavod, _sir."

Gausser quickly produced a flask out of his coat and handed it to Chewtski, which he accepted with a nod. He unscrewed the battered cap of the flask and knocked back a shot of the alcohol his tense muscles easing up as the drink burned its way down his throat.

He handed the flask back to Guasser, "Make sure the Commisar doesn't see you passing that stuff around."

"Yes, sir"

They entered into the back room of the comms-tent where messages were received and transmitted, men were sitting around multiple sets of vox, adjusting dials and pressing buttons which served no reasonable purpose to Chewtski's eyes.

"So any messages for us, Gausser?"

"No sir, we are to stick with the plan that's been assigned to us."

Noxtras nodded, "Thank you, dismissed."

Gausser saluted and strode out of the room. Noxtras turned to Kharkay, the Chief Vox Operator of the regiment, "General Channel, Kharkay."

"Yes, sir."

The vox operator quickly tuned in Chewtski's microbead with the General Channel of the regiment, boosting its power greatly. He listened to the vox chatter a moment before speaking, "Men of Voystroya today we strike the first blows of the offensive, lets give them hell."

Outside the guns began to fire.

* * *

Shas'El'B'kak listened to the reports coming from the front with a grimace of distaste on his blunt features.

B'kak was the commanding officer of the Tau forces on the southern tip of the mainland, given the task of defending the coastal cities vital promethium resources which the Tau would need to help expand its resource hungry empire.

Unlike the fighting on Yanir proper which was centered around the control of the hive cities the fight in the south depended first on destroying the Tau defenses in the marshes surrounding it.

The southern coast was impossible to reach by land due to the marshes surrounding it, so whoever wanted the south needed the skies first.

But the Tau had stationed their troops, with much difficulty, in the thick marshes along with numerous anti-air defenses to make sure that the Imperials couldn't get through without destroying the Tau first.

B'kak had also stationed the rest of his anti-air defenses along the former PDF fortifications which surrounded the tip of coast forcing the Imperials to go through the marshes first, unless they wanted to risk the chance of a faster invasion with the ten times the amount of aircraft lost.

Even though B'kak's masterful placement of defenses had stymied the Gue'la so far he knew from the reports he was receiving that they would not hold much longer. He just didn't have the amount of room to maneuver that he needed, if he did he be able to make the Imperials dilute their power across multiple strong points instead of just one location.

The front was falling, that much was clear.

He had received reports from his various commanders, many of them not even Shas'vre, they were only Shas'ui. The desperate state of his command was one of the most crippling factors in the engagement. Many of his eyes in the field were freshly trained recruits, confusing the Shas'El's grasp of the battle even more with their own inexpierence.

_This war is nothing but a disaster._

He was startled from his reverie as a flight of bombers which had managed to get through his defenses sailed overhead the city of Dhirim. Immediately the cities air defenses opened up, steaks of missile fire flew overhead from SAM batteries destroying the bombers.

Clouds of burning debris fell to the earth in molten scraps, the machines so quickly destroyed that the pilots didn't even have to try to eject. Though destroyed the bombers had managed to release a clutch of bombs which fell to the ground and detonated with several loud crump's.

Several of the soaring spires of the city caught fire, columns of smoke and rubble flying from the buildings, followed by the rising wail of panic and city alarms.

"So comes the end" B'kak whispered to himself.

A aide scurried in the door before stopping abruptly and flashing a quick salute.

"Shas'El the bombs had hit several of upper administrative buildings of the humans, most are dead. Emergency response teams are en route, enforcer teams are out on the streets to control civil unrest as well."

B'kak was glad of the aides briskness, he had been trained not to bother the commander with meaningless details.

"Good, report to me any new developments and assemble casualty figures."

"Yes Shas'El."

The aide turned to leave before B'kak called him. " Yes,Shas'El?"

The Tau commander was silent for a moment, his frame highlighted against the light streaming through the large window which lighted the study in which the commander had situated his quarters.

"Gather all the officials both Tau and human, plans need to be made."

The aide nodded and left the room with a quick, "For the Tau'va."

The Shas'El didn't reply, his eyes reflecting the flames of the buildings.

* * *

War whistled, danced and shrieked across the humid, dank air of the marshes, each sound perhaps heralding another life ended.

Lasfire snapped, pulse rounds crackled, grenades crumped and the constant sound of artillery and air combat drifted through the early afternoon breeze.

Corporal Delmar dived behind a huge cypress, the trunk shaking as a multitude of pulse rounds riddled the tree. He coughed up a mouthful of liquid muck, while simultaneously raising his rifle and aiming down the sights.

Originally the plan that the top brass had dreamed up had been going well, each ring of Tau defense had been blown through now that the full firepower of the Imperial Guard had been brought against it.

But after each successive ring broken the forces were being scattered and slowed resulting in less force being applied against each line. Now elements of the 34th Stratix were stranded throughout this sector of the battle in scattered groups trying to get through isolated pockets of resistance and regroup.

Delmar himself had been separated from his platoon, his squad moving forward cautiously before running into a Tau combat group. Right now men of the 34th were sheltering behind trees shrubbery or just getting as low into the muck as they can to avoid incoming fire.

Their flak jackets were filthy, the insignias stitched into them barley visible beneath the muck and grime.

The blood didn't help the mess either.

He looked down his rifles sights and aimed at a bush with a muzzle flash, exhaling slowly. He squeezed the trigger twice, then fired again just in case.

There was a grunt and the firing stopped, quickly followed by the smell of ionized blood. He got up and sprinted as best as he could through the mud towards new cover before his old spot was targeted again.

One of his squad mates moved up with him, Trooper Mollner, his rifle at his shoulder. They bellied down behind the previously occupied brush, breathing hard.

"Dam this is hell eh?"

Mollner looked up and fired a burst of las towards what seemed a lot of fire was coming from. "Sure is, what a wouldn't give for a heavy stub or flamer at this moment."

Delmar nodded, a quick burst of fire from a heavy stubber or a bit of blazing promethium would clear out the Tau Firewarriors dam quick from the brush. Too bad they didn't have any support weapons with them, now they had to have a protracted firefight with the xenos.

"Meybe we could", but before Mollner could finish his thought a pulse round crisped through the bush and blew off his head.

"Shit!"

Delmar tried to get as low as he could into the ground. He raised his rifle and fired a burst of blind fire, hoping to hit something.

In return another flight of pulse rounds thrashed the bush, passing just above his body. He fired another burst of fire before trying to crawl clear of the shrub, hoping to link up with some of his men. But before he could more pulse fire riddled the ground around him, forcing him back.

He was pinned and he was dead.

"Great, another day, another instance of sheltering in cover with someone else's body."

He popped his near empty power cell out of his rifle before jamming in a new one while simultaneously spitting into the breech to make sure none of the muck jammed up the weapon.

A lasrilfe could be sumberged in just about anything and work but the mud of Yanir was made especially for inconvenience. His feet knew that well enough.

He checked to make sure the charge meter on the side of the lasgun was full before peeking his head and trying to see where his last stand would best be made.

Another flight of pulse rounds blew off his ear.

He fell to the ground writhing and cursing at everything in the universe he knew and some stuff he didn't. But then just as soon as he had been fired upon the firing stopped, replaced with the sound of a hell of a lot of lasguns firing at once, though it sounded kinda diluted do to the absense of a ear.

He gingerly raised his head, his squad mates and his own blood spattered across his face, tenderly feeling the bloody nub of his ear. Around him members of his squad that weren't dead or wounded hauled themselves to their feet, blinking at the sight which greeted them.

Several squads of Stratix guardsmen were moving through the mud, checking too see if all the Tau were dead or gone. Delmar waved his squad mates away while striding towards the saviors of his men, hoping that they knew where the main body of the regiment was, trying not to look to relieved.

The first man that Delmar approached was a young man, probably still a greenhorn, if you could say that about any man that had fought in this front. The young man, perhaps maybe twenty-three Terran years old, turned towards Delmar and grinned a toothy grin.

"Glad to see your guys are still alive, it seemed like you were in a shitstorm."

"Yeh, we sure were, thanks for the help. Where is your commanding officer soldier?"

The men surrounding their conversation snickered before the young trooper silenced them.

"I think it would be good to inform you that I _am_ there commanding officer, Major infact."

Delmar was genuinely surprised, though it wasn't uncommon for younger troopers to be field promoted during battle they never, unless in extreme circumstances rose to the rank of major.

"Major you say? I'm sorry, sir, bit hard of hearing these past few minutes."

If the officer noticed Delmar's discomfort he didn't let it show. _Dam! I am older than the guy, and he is supposed to command my troops?_

"No problem Corporal, but we need to regroup and head forward."

The major had sharp eyes, he had to hand that to him though, he had managed to see his rank through the filth covering him.

"Yes sir, but if I may ask what is your name?"

The major, his eyes still bright with the spirit of youth, turned his head towards Delmar, " Just call me Major Matz, Corporal…."

Delmar realized he hadn't introduced himself, "Delmar, sir."

"Nice to make your acquaintance, now move your ass."

Delmar looked around and saw that the group of men were moving off, leaving the dead behind after stripping them of ammo.

He didn't bother to ask what to do with the bodies, if someone wants them they can take them.

He shouldered his rifle and trudged through the muck, following a boy into the Jaws of Hell.

* * *

"You see I cannot allow that too happen."

The impassive man sitting in the booth in front of Dhirim's aereodome seemed to have no other answers to Falkeyhn von Klopas questions beside that line.

Falkeyhn was one of the wealthiest and influential men on the planet, owning most of the oil dredgers which pumped the southern landmasses oceans of promethium from the crust of Yanir. Now with most of his requests being buffeted away by the drone like workers of the Tau Administration, he was infuriated.

No one had ever refused to listen to Falkeyhn. He had been driving through the hive city for nearly an hour, ordering his driver to take him to the aereodome as soon as he had heard the first bombs hit.

The streets had been so crowed with people he had ordered his bodyguard, Heinrich, to fire his pistol out the window of his car to scare away the wretched workers of the lower habs. He still shuddered to think how the filthy people were crowding around the side of his expensive car, nearly getting it dirty!

For Emperor's sake the car was worth more than most of their homes combined.

Now as the city collapsed and the Tau forces were nearly in full retreat Falkeyhn was ready to take his personal shuttle away from the doomed city. But this dam commoner was keeping him here, the mere thought of such a man keeping one so prominent as Falkeyhn filled his veins with rage.

"Step aside peasant and let me to my shuttle, I am departing at once."

"I'm sorry but all evacuations are being organized by the Administration if you wish to leave you must wait for the clearance."

"There is no time for clearance you fool, I must get myself and my fortune away from here to help continue the Klopas lineage!"

"I am sorry sir, but I cannot allow you to leave for security reasons."

"Dam you, let me pass or I will make sure you never work in any place for the rest of your miserable life!"

In response to Falkeyhn's outburst the man just closed the gate and shut the window of his booth. Falkeyhn snarled and stormed back to his car, his fine silken robes swirling around his frame.

_Thinks he can stop me well lets see how he responds once he learns who he is messing the hell with._

He went to trunk of his car ignoring the questions of his driver and bodyguard before popping the trunk. Inside the velvet lined interior of the trunk was his possessions along with a smaller storage compartment in the side.

Inside the trunk was nearly one hundred million Imperial Credits, along with an untold amount more in art, clothes and jewelry. He ignored the wealth and reached inside the smaller compartment and pulled out a finely made autorifle, a Turop Model V.

The rifle grip was stubby, crafted to allow aiming in any stance or position but the rifle barrel was long enough to be considered a sniper. He quickly placed the three shot magazine into the rifles breech before cocking and aiming the gun.

The rifle was designed to hunt large, exotic game and in the cases when it was in the hands of the servants of Imperial nobility, punch through armored cars and kill the nobles sheltering within.

Falkeyhn aimed down the Turop's scope and fired a shot which burst through the booth operators window with ease before pulping the man's chest and exiting out the back of the booth.

The next two successive shots destroyed the locked gate hinges which kept the gate in the way of cars and people.

Then Falkeyhn calmly placed another clip into the smoking breech of the rifle and got into the car with the shocked Heinrich. He eased himself into the comfortable upholstery of his car and then looked up to see the shocked faces of his servants.

"What are you staring out you fools, drive the car to my shuttle, we are leaving!"

With that Falkeyhn's car thundered down the road leading to the aereodome, not realizing what consequences their actions had caused.

* * *

Delmar laughed as the marsh plants burned. All around him Stratix guardsmen fired or ducked as the Stratix regiments broke the back of the last Tau resistance. Flamer and heavy weapon teams that had been lagging behind the main advance before catching up with the bogged down, in the most literal sense of the word, Stratix.

Blazing promethium immolated groups of Tau, Kroot and Rebel troopers. Lines of heavy stubber creeped through the marshy brush, punching through bodies in fountains of gore. Grenade bursts and lasbeams perforated the air, along with the screams of the wounded and dying soldiers of all species.

The remnants of the Tau Firewarrior cadres were forming around a more solid core of Kroot and Rebel troop strengths. The Stratix regiments, with supporting fire from the Voystroyan artillery, had forged to the very edge of the mashes, and now the Tau were making their stand.

Overhead the constant aerial battle was raging, Lighnings dueling with Tau Barracudas and Piranhas and Rebel aircraft, in a ballet of death. To either side of Delmar were Imperial Guardsmen, trying to cover each other and not get killed at the same time.

The ground had started to level out towards the edge of the marshes allowing some armor to be moved but very little, unlike the Tau. The Tau armor had skimmer technology which allowed them to float above the ground, negating the natural armor stopping capabilities of the swamps.

Imperial tacticians had warned of the Tau's advantage and had equipped every platoon of Guardsmen with at least two rocket tubes in the face of the threat.

Those rocket tubes were pretty dam handy.

As soon as the Imperial forces had cleared the worst of the brush, Tau armor had assaulted. Devilfish troop transports armed with twin burstcannons and hull mounted missile platofrms skimmed out to meet the Imperials.

Waves of burstcannon fire pulped men while flights of missiles spiraled through the air before exploding in heavy weapon positions, incinerating the men. One such transport was gliding towards Delmar and his squad, its cannons tracking them.

Before it could fire into the fleeing men two streaks of light leapt from a nearby tree trunk, impacting upon the Devilfish. The shield built into the machine absorbed nearly all of the damage, resulting in only minor hull damage and one burstcannon being knocked out.

Luckily they had more launchers.

Another rocket then sailed forward and hit the skimmer in the side armor, crumpling it and causing it to shudder and catch fire. Just as quickly as the cheer started then it died as packs of Kroot began to leap towards the men, hoping to catch them by surprise.

Several more transports followed behind them along with a least two platoons of rebel PDF. It seemed to signal the collapse of the Stratix advance as the Tau counterattacked.

Photon grenades were launched from the ranks of the Firewarriors, detonating in the midst of the men, causing to panic as their senses were rendered useless. Kroot ball bombs hurled through the air, fuses sparkling, before detonating above the scrambling Guardsmen.

Many troopers were temporarily blinded by the blast of grenades while others were on the ground shrieking from shrapnel wounds. Others lay still, draped against whatever cover they had been behind, their skin riddled with sharp metal splinters.

Then the Kroot were amongst the humans and the fight started in earnest.

Delmar had been lucky enough to have been able to get most of his squads bayonets attached, and helped meet the charge of the Kroot. Wicked blades and claws carved into men, killing and maiming with ease. Teeth ripped into throats, sending spouts of arterial blood into the weapon discharge filled air.

Delmar hacked and stabbed with bayonet, firing point blank lasrounds into bodies. Around him men died screaming and crying. One slip in the treacherous ground and your life would be snuffed out by the monsters attacking you.

Delmar dodged a misfooted strike from a Kroot and stuffed his blade into the aliens ribcage in return, wrenching upwards to free his bayonet. He turned and felt a lighting sharp fist crack into his head and send him tumbling to the ground.

Bloody mud filled his mouth and nose, along with the multitude of organisms living in the mud. On top of him he felt the weight on his back stab a object into his back, screaming in pain at the jagged feel of the weapon.

He jerked to side and was rewarded with the alien being thrown off balance and surfaced from the mud. He retched the bloody foam out of his mouth and quickly picked up his falled rifle and stabbed it into the scrambling Kroots forehead with a loud crunch.

He turned and saw what seemed the leader of the Kroot slice thorugh one of his squad mates, Siebracht, with a slash of his serrated sword. It turned to regard Delmar through the thrashing meelee and strode to meet him with a hunger filled grin.

His bayonet was lodged too deep into the Kroot's skull so instead he reached behind him and wrenched out the blade burried in his back with a snarl. The weapon came free after a few seconds of painful tugging and turned to find a hook like weapon in his hand, the feel unfamiliar.

He was in no position to be picky as the Kroot swung up his sword and attacked him.

He quickly dodged the first strike but then was jammed in the gut with the aliens bony knee. He fell to the ground swiping his weapon the at the things knees hoping to cripple it, but the Kroot sidestepped.

He managed to ward away another blow before stepping forward and smahing it mouth with his head. It writhed away, stumbling backwards, it turned back and ludged its blade into his shoulder with a flash of steel. Despite the immense pain Delmar shoved the Kroot away, the alien seeming to back off. For a moment he thought it was because of him.

The real reason was far better.

Groups of raft like vehicles were zooming through the trees towards the group of battling soldiers. When the Imperial Guard had first entered the marshy zones of the south they had found a vehicle which the locals used to get around in and quickly adopted it to their cause.

Each vehicle was really a large raft with a fan and steering wheel to drive it around the swamps. Mechanicus adepts had soon learned that the rafts could not only transport men but be equipped as a sort of gunboat.

As the vehicles approached the fight they opened up with mounted autocannons and heavy missile lanuchers. The fire soon killed most of the supporting elements of the Kroot attack along with the Devilfish skimmers. They had broke and fled, being gunned down as they did so.

They had lost a lot of good comrades in the swamp, and now they would make sure the Tau did too.

The bodies of the recent dead sunk into the muck of the swamp, forgotten already.

* * *

When the first Imperial forces had reached the coastal city of Dhirim they had found it in full scale chaos.

After Falkeyhn had lifted off from the aereodome the civilians population had thought that maybe the Tau had been lying to them and stampeded for the aereodome. Thousands had fought eachother to reach the aereodome, hoping to save themselves or their families.

The events that ensued had caused the Tau to lose control of the city not by military means but by the act of one man. Teams of enforcers hoping to control the riot had been ripped and apart and trampled. Thousands more were killed by the press of bodies. Looting and violence continued through the night.

Falkeyhn had been killed in mid-flight to his island hideaway by a flight of Navy Lightnings, thinking him to be a Tau official escaping.

In truth B'kak had stayed in his room, watching the city fall. He had already sent word of his failure to the Shas'O, his part had been played.

Shas'El'B'kak sat down and watched the world burn.


End file.
